So here it is… if you, like many, take the word of Mr. Landa to be the last word on all things print, we can finally put the debate to rest… PRINT, is not DEAD. Well, not all of print. We will have some casualties but this shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. In any revolution some get left behind, and in some revolutions all get left behind (8 tracks, cassettes, albums, VCR’s, Walkman’s, matchprints, veloxes, etc.). So in that sense we should make our plans to end up where we need to end up, and be greatful we have time to prepare for the future, and that there is a future for Print.
I pulled this one question and answer out of the article, but it’s definitely worth checking out in it’s entirety.
“Globes”: Aren’t you afraid of investing in printing in the digital age?
Landa: “I know that everyone thinks that printing is yesterday’s technology, and that there are iPods, iPhones, and so forth. But this industry, in which man prints on paper, has existed for 600 years, and man has communicated on paper for 5,000 years. The print industry is an $800 million a year industry, and out of this industry, only a small part – 15-20% – is for newspapers, the media, and magazines. All the rest is for daily commercial activity.
“Even if part of this disappears – books will certainly vanish, along with magazines, newspapers, and catalogues, marketing communications will not disappear, because people love it. There is something personal about paper. You can touch it, smell it, it has beauty and depth. An $800 billion market will take generations to vanish.’
Landa adds that the packaging market, which totals $312 billion a year, accounts for 40% of the printing market. “Everything in supermarkets and pharmacies will not disappear. No one is going to package cornflakes in an iPod or iPhone,” he says.
Full interview here: Landa: Nano promises printing revolution – Globes.
