The skeptics have all but writen us off

The pundits call us a sunset industry

Misguided marketers think electronic substitution replaces print

But print will prevail

Yes, some print has become electronic

And some more print may become electronic

But you cannot replace all print

An e-greeting is not the same as a beautiful card held in your hand, today and decades from now

Digital photos look great on a screen but your grandkids will never see them in the future unless they are printed

Yes, Virginia, there will be print forever

There will be a printing industry forever

We will still have packaging

We will still have real books that record our memories

We will still have direct mail

We will still have posters

We will still have promotional material

We will still have many products that cannot be reduced to zeros and ones

Print cannot die, Virginia

It can only become better

When you want to impress

motivate

influence

you will use print

Print alone

Or, print and electronic communication

Print is special

It activates multiple senses

It is 3-dimensional and tactile

It says to the receiver

that the sender cares 

It makes communication glorious

The use of print is wrongly considered un-green

Yet, print uses little energy and pollutes less than electronic methods

Printers have been great stewards of our environment

Yes, Virginia, print is special

The naysayers may have their day

But print will have many days

Now and far into the future

Your life will be enriched by print

And by the people who make print

The printing industry