Print Popular Among US Designers

Press manufacturer MAN Roland, with North American headquarters in Westmont, Ill., sponsored an annual survey of leading American creative professionals conducted by Graphic Design USA (GDUSA), which revealed the percentage of designers working in print increased from 91 percent last year to 92 percent currently. In addition, 75 percent of their projects are stand-alone print or involve the creation of at least one printed piece, and 70 percent of their total work time is spent designing for print.

“Print uniquely engages the emotions and stimulates the senses with its classic strengths of permanence, tangibility, sensuality and physicality,” observed GDUSA Publisher Gordon Kaye. “Print feels more trustworthy and credible than other media, and its very tangibility and permanence suffuses the content—and the content creator—with a sense of authenticity. A well-designed, well-executed printed piece can be a special experience; one with resonance and impact, one that moves beyond the digital cacophony.”

The survey also found that 88 percent of respondents buy printing. This will continue to accelerate, the study concluded, as the traditional wall between design and production comes crashing down.

Approximately 23 percent said they are buying more printing than in the recent past, while 65 percent reported buying the same amount. Meanwhile, 37 percent have purchased printing online from a national service, while 19 percent said they are considering it.

Money was most definitely an object in choosing a commercial printer, as evidenced by the following list of the top ten factors designers consider when selecting a facility to run their jobs:

1. Price

2. Quality

3. Customer service

4. Trust and reputation

5. Digital short-run printing capabilities

6. Environmentally friendly practices

7. Paper knowledge

8. State-of-the-art equipment

9. Geographic proximity

10. Easy-to-use website

Creative professionals are very particular about their paper choices, and the large majority said they specify, recommend, approve and buy the substrates on which their work is printed, while 15 percent say they will be specifying more paper this year. Furthermore, green is in, with 32 percent of respondent planning to purchase more recycled paper in the coming months.