A few weeks ago while visiting with a book printing client of mine, I made a few suggestions about promoting three new titles this small publisher was about to produce with my help. He and his wife had a website and some marketing postcards, and they had asked my opinion of how to approach the promotion of these new print books.
I realize they're not really “bluelines” anymore, now that printer's proofs are produced via inkjet technology, but the term is resilient, and some printers still call these digital inkjet proofs by their former name.
It is a truism that in custom printing you can have any two of the following: “Quality, Service, and/or Price.” In the recent past, however, to be competitive in a tight commercial printing market, the motto has become more like “Free, Perfect, and Now” (which also happens to be the title of a book by Robert Rodin).
I have been overjoyed recently to have read several articles on the return to favor of print materials.
The first of these appeared in a magazine called E-Content (Digital Content, Media, and Publishing Strategies). This March 2014 article, as noted on the cover of this print magazine, is entitled “Is Print Making a Comeback?” Written by Lin Grensing-Pophal, this article answers the question with a resounding “Yes.”
The online experience has its place. I surf the Internet daily, learning things and buying things. But I don't believe it is the only venue for learning and commerce.
Beyond the blogs I've written about the value of custom printing for promotional pieces and publications, I'd like to address the value of print in marketing in-store commerce: still a viable option to online buying.
I never thought it would happen, but it did. I just saw a “versioned” movie standee. Actually, I only figured this out by chance tonight, as my fiancee and I installed a second copy of the Rio 2 standee at a second movie theater. I went to look for two animal “lugs” (a panther and what looked like an anteater, Charlie). I couldn't find them, and I assumed the distributor had inadvertently left them out of the box (which has happened in the past).