Beginning in the mid-1980’s thru the 1990’s the printing industry began to feel the impact of an industry-wide transformation. The invention of the Mac and its impact on image setting, the arrival and widespread use of email, and the emergence of electronic media caused great pause within our community.

As the world celebrated the turn of the century the printing industry continued to scratch its collective head and wonder where the future was headed. Unfortunately it took only a few years until the industry would sustain another blow. The recession of 2008-2009 reduced the number of U.S. printers from 36,508 to 33,565, a drop of 8%, taking nearly 70,000 jobs with it. Production was impacted and the future of print was once again shrouded in cloud of doubt. Simultaneously, the eruption of social media and image-driven social platforms have caused additional pause to the printing industry as the way we communicate and the methods by which communications continue to evolve.

However, the printing industry continues to press on. In the face of all of the challenges faced over the past several years a few truths remain intact…print remains the only form of communication to occupy physical space, print creates a unique and tangible experience, and printers continues to evolve and embrace new technology and design to remain relevant.  Consider for a moment that 76% of businesses state that their ideal marketing mix is a combination of print and digital.

Last week our team created this poster in an effort to embrace our expertise, share our philosophy, demonstrate our pride, pay tribute to our tradition and…well, to keep calm and print on.

To learn more about the origins of the phrase please check out the following post: http://bizeez.com/keep_calm_and_carry_on/

To learn more about the impact of the recession on the printing industry please see: http://www.piasc.org/pdf/business/MovingPastTheGreatRecession.pdf

To learn more about how print is an essential piece in the marketing mix even in the digital age see http://www.printinthemix.org