The Growing Fundamentals of Digital Print Demand

Being dedicated to the Print and Book industries, I often encounter some form of the question: How involved do I have to be in Digital Printing? Although circumstances dictate the specifics, the answer is, COMPLETELY. For those of you thinking this sounds dramatic, rethink the issue.

I don't care whether you're RR Donnelley, or a small local printer, your life is changing before you. Change or die; it's that simple. When we emerge from this horrible economic funk we're in, which we surely will, the game will have changed. Those glorious long runs of several shifts, or even days, have waned.

The "why" of this is interesting. Not only is there a great need for smaller quantities to reduce inventory, obsolescence, and total cost, there is also an information explosion that demands today's knowledge & content. Just as social media has put us in the "now" mode, so has our very culture. Answers must be complete and completely current.

What results are not only short runs that demand quick turnarounds, but short runs that demand currency. The fact that this costs more is not the issue; timeliness & currency are. What matters is that it is worth the relatively small additional cost to have it the way we want it, when we want it. Why am I willing to purchase my "one click" book for a couple of bucks more on Amazon? I get it now, it's easy, & it's hassle-free.

Here are some fundamentals from the book industry: Page count for both manuals and books will experience real growth in the next 10 years. During this same time frame, digital books will also grow in page count as well as number of books. Orders will be up in number, but continue to decrease in size. If we want to be a part of this, we must plan now, according to our customer base, while leveraging & improving our core competencies. In short, we must change in an orderly fashion.

Good ole' responsiveness to the demand will identify the winners & losers. Which will you be? What do you need to rethink to make it happen?