Print & Brand It News   •   Apr 9, 2017

While digital has made it’s way to the top, print is not dead. Think about how brick-and-mortar businesses use print. They mail out postcards, they install window decals, hang banners, and place sidewalk signs for a big sale.

Don’t have a physical storefront, print media is still equally helpful to you. Here are just a few of the reasons why.

Print is tangible

Breaking the print vs. digital argument down to our natural human senses. Print is more tangible and tactile than digital. It offers a physical experience using the senses like touch, and smell, to impress a powerful cognitive memory.

Print can be easier to read

Survey results in a 2015 report show that 81% of U.S. respondents prefer to read print on paper over a digital screen. Even with improvements to digital screens, reading printed materials is easier on the eyes. In addition to it being easier to flip back and forth while reading through printed materials, it’s also less mentally draining than reading on a digital screen.

Printed information is more easily retained

Printed information is retained more easily than that viewed on a screen. While people read more than ever thanks to technology, the information read on a screen is not always retained long-term. People remember what is read on a screen, but they don’t convert it into “known” information for the long-term use.

Print is useful

In marketing, printed materials consist of useful objects that can be held onto by the recipient, rather than just stashed in an email folder or sent straight to the recycling bin. Pocket calendars, magnets, or wallet cards get tangible consumer use. Which leads them back to your business message repeatedly.

Print is self-sufficient

Unlike digital materials, printed materials don’t need a power source or WIFI access to be read or consumed. There’s always that critical moment when a person absolutely needs to access information on their phone or laptop, and the internet goes down, or a battery dies. Print stands on its own without being dependent on technology or power, and can be refreshing when trying to “unplug.”

Print is sustainable

While many believe that printing is not sustainable, the truth is actually the opposite. Paper is recycled more than any other material, according to the U.S. EPA. Additionally, paper is a renewable resource since it can be regrown or replenished in one or two human lifetimes. Paper most often comes from managed forests or farms, where four times as many trees are planted as are harvested. Businesses have unlimited selections on recycled paper for all printed projects.

Print marketing has a smaller carbon footprint than digital marketing. Other than using a light at night to read paper materials, no energy is used (outside of the initial creation of the product) to consume printed information. Reading on a screen always requires batteries, AC power, or an internet connection–and sometimes all three at once.

Print is more credible

Digital pop-ups, paid advertisements, spam, and viruses are all deterrents to reading digital media. People are wary to click on everything that pops up on the web or in their email inbox, including marketing emails that look completely legitimate. Printed content stands out and appears more credible than digital content. What’s more, a study by iProspect found that two-thirds of online search users are driven to perform a search as a result of exposure to an offline channel, including print material.

Print can complement digital

Because print can sometimes be more powerful or credible than digital doesn’t mean it should be used exclusively in business marketing, especially not when so many things are becoming completely digital. Instead, businesses should consider using a combination of both print and digital marketing efforts.

Showing up both in print and on a screen can get a business in front of their customers multiple times. Businesses can simply add QR codes to printed materials, or create simple, unique URLs for prospects to type in and search from print.