We all have a lot in common with Johannes Gutenberg – other than the fact we’re all awesome print dudes says Mark Stephenson
At the time Johannes Gutenberg started printing with movable type around 1440/50 the number of books in Europe could be counted in the thousands. 50 years later there were more than nine million books available. Gutenberg was dead by then, but I wonder how much he felt the weight of responsibility as a printer who changed the world. As printing spread across Europe most printers were also publishers, selecting and editing the scripts they would print and heavily influencing academic and religious thought for years to come. What a responsibility!
Today, almost 600 years later, we as enablers of print also have a massive responsibility. I’m talking about all of us – equipment manufacturers, consumable suppliers, consultants, PR and marketing types, designers, and many more – not forgetting print service providers (PSPs) themselves. As modern ambassadors of print, just like Gutenberg, we also carry a burden of responsibility – for hopes and dreams, for truth and justice, and for life itself!
I can hear you now, dear reader, as you start to think that I’ve turned up the dial on hyperbole way over 11. “We’re just inky fingered printers after all.” But you’re doing yourself an injustice. Think about the individuals, industries, and causes that rely on the print industry.
Artists and authors come to us to deliver a permanent representation of their creativity. Fundraisers and entrepreneurs rely on us to further their cause. Teachers and students ask us to provide the tools for learning, examination, and certification. Plus, builders, town planners, and event organisers need us to direct individuals and crowds and keep them safe.
And, yes, it really is a matter of life and death. Remove print from packaging and witness the chaos in retail as food, drug, and cosmetic products kill off 20% of confused consumers.
What else would you like to add to the list? Ballot Papers? Democracy itself is at risk! (I’m not sure that even the greatest print campaign could save us from this one.)
The next time you walk across a print shop floor, take some time to absorb the creativity, visual stimuli, and even the beauty of the print that surrounds you. Artworkers, platemakers, press people, and finishers are not just production staff – they’re turning dreams and aspirations of artists and authors into reality.
Take the case of professional photographer Gisela Schäper who spent years photographing the interiors of abandoned castles around Germany. Schäper had plenty to choose from as there are over 20,000 castles, palaces, and fortress ruins in Germany compared to under 14,000 McDonalds restaurants [sic] in the USA. After ten years Schäper had gathered enough photographs to mount an exhibition and simultaneously publish a hardback book Schlossgeflüster (Castle Whispers). However, the fine details of the photography and the book’s demanding design caused a problem in production with both offset and regular digital technologies. Images looked flat and fine lines around each photograph combined with a grey tint background were a nightmare to print. Schäper had to carry on with the exhibition without any books to sell. She was distraught. Could nobody bring her dreams to life on the printed page? Schäper was ready to give up.
This is the ‘Power of Print’. It’s not just a phrase to hashtag in a LinkedIn post or quote to a customer as part of an elevator pitch. The real power of print is your ability to deliver […] joy, hope, and fulfilment to your customers and your customers’ customers
Then her husband found the solution; following an internet search they discovered that Henning Rose of Wegner GmbH had a press with a unique inkjet technology that, when combined with Henning’s expertise, could print the 128-page book consistently to Schäper’s exacting standards. On seeing the amazing results, Schäper placed her order and everyone was happy, including the press manufacturer. When Henning told them the news, they commissioned a video to tell the story and placed an order with Schäper for 200 copies of her book for their sales teams, which Henning printed of course.
This story is far more than a sweet tale of castles and dreams; there are clues here to practical steps we can all take.
What if Schäper’s husband had never found out about Henning’s expertise and marvellous inkjet technology? The route to this discovery involved a few steps that started with a Google search that led to the press manufacturers website with an enquiry form.
The lead was passed to a salesperson who then recommended Henning. A chain of events that could have broken down at any point. Sales could have discounted the lead as Schäper was never going to buy a press and the dream would have died.
What if Henning had never told the good news to the press manufacturer? Schäper would have never got her order for 200 books.
A few practical points I take from this story:
This is the ‘Power of Print’. It’s not just a phrase to hashtag in a LinkedIn post or quote to a customer as part of an elevator pitch.
The real power of print is your ability to deliver (as grand as it may sound) joy, hope, and fulfilment to your customers and your customers’ customers. We are all enablers, wherever we fit in the diverse spectrum of the print world, we have the honour of being an industry whose product touches every other industry, organisation. and cause.
Could you imagine that same feeling of fulfilment coming from promoting online bingo, selling life insurance, making ice cold mochafrappamatcha lattes, or being a contestant on Love Island?
It’s fine getting excited and having a happy clappy print revival, but we really shouldn’t keep it to ourselves. The net benefit should be to spread the good news more effectively.
This is where finding our tribe comes into play. I’m greedy and have found more than one, you may not have that luxury, but I encourage you to investigate at least one. You may find your tribe in a trade association, a print community, or industry event, there are plenty to choose from. A good place to start is The Big Breakfast, a regular online event organised by the Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA) where print people gather to discuss challenges and opportunities in print. Register at https://ipia.org.uk/bb/. There are many more, but The Big Breakfast is free, most others require some kind of commitment.
We should hold our heads high as proud ambassadors of print, whatever our involvement, whatever we deliver, we are not just a part of the print industry. We are the print industry.
