By Designitgreener Editor

With environmental concerns at the forefront as well as costs, organizations are taking an ever-harder look at printed materials such as product brochures, collateral and even annual reports. Consumers too are taking a hard look at how they use print. They are becoming more selective and are shifting their views as to its appropriate use.

Major newspapers and magazines are finding out the hard way that a large percentage of their audience is moving from print (along with many of their advertisers) to online news. Catalog retailers too have put far more of the resources into online stores and printing far fewer catalogs. So, does this signal that print as we know it is dying? If the newspaper, magazine and catalog industries were any harbinger of the long-term health of print, the short answer would have to be yes. But these mediums represent only a slice, be it a sizable one, of the print universe.

In other areas of print, book sales remain brisk and packaging in many cases is moving from plastics to print as recycled paperboard and its renewable and sustainable perceptions improve.

The ultimate irony is that direct mail seems go on unabated despite it’s high cost both financially and environmentally. In this case, most consumers don’t want to receive it at all but would rather receive it in their mailbox than in their e-mail. This is also driven by the current anti-spam legislation, which makes direct mail one of the few direct marketing options.

As far as high-end printed collateral is concerned, cost may be as much a factor as green. Marketers with the profit margins to support it are still using print effectively to add brand value with a tactile presentation – but it is expensive. Consumers still appreciate a well-printed piece on high quality paper and welcome them, provided they are done responsibly. That said, print is quickly becoming more of a luxury medium and as a result will be used less frequently as it is reserved for special, more lasting communications – junk mail not withstanding.

What do you think?

• Will Print Survive the Green Revolution?
• Carbon Offsets – Green Incentive or License to Pollute?
• Is The Next Bubble “Green?”