What is the future of commercial printing?

Today's post comes to us from our friends at Ritter's Printing in Miami, Florida.

These days, the commercial printing industry faces stiff competition from technology that has taken books, magazines and articles from print to the digital platform. Web publishing, e-readers, and increasingly affordable home and office printing technology put commercial print shops at risk of becoming obsolete, or so it may seem.

Technology has empowered consumers to do more for themselves printing and publishing-wise. Today, anyone can publish their work, most can print their own large scale jobs and books can be accessed by just pressing a button. Progress for the consumer, but all big hits for the commercial print shops.

Web publishing allows individuals to share and sell their work online, through the cloud and digitally, without the burden of costs it would have taken to put out a physical product. Suddenly, someone that may have never received a book deal can become an accomplished author that lands themselves on a best selling list earning dollars on pennies because they self published on the web. Great for the author, bad for the commercial print shops.

e-readers caught on because book lovers are now able to access their latest read anywhere, anytime without carrying a book that may have been inconvenient. Students' book bags are no longer weighed down by heavy textbooks and their wallets are a little fatter thanks to this money saving gadget, too. Now that e-readers have evolved and are compatible with other types of publications, including magazines, the demand for printed material and commercial print shops once again takes a hit.

Small businesses are still the heart of any economy and when that economy is running sluggishly, those same businesses spare luxuries and search for money saving solutions. Manufacturers that provide businesses with standard office printing products, in an effort to stay relevant and profitable, too, search for cost cutting solutions for their customers, as well. This dilemma has led to more efficient home and office printing products once again cutting out the middle man, the commercial printer.

All is not lost for commercial print shops, though. The goal of technology is to improve the human condition and as a by-product, technology ends up improving that which touches the human condition, too. Survival for commercial print shops involves finding strategic updates to aging methodologies. Those shops that can lower overhead costs in order to offer competitive pricing will find that consumers are willing to remain loyal to them.

The heyday of the printing industry may be over, but it's doubtful it will fade away completely. If the industry is willing to operate under less demand, there's no reason why it can't continue to live on, just on a smaller scale. While it's true that eBook sales, for example, continue to increase two and three-fold annually, a market still remains that will keep the hope alive for commercial print shops because there's nothing like being able to flip the page of a book or the glossy pages of a magazine.