In Defense of Ink

Three Reasons Why Print Still Matters

I’m not going to lie; I’m a bit of an odd duck. This isn’t groundbreaking news to my family, friends, or even colleagues. One quirk I have is the fondness for the scent of a print shop. I’m drawn to that heavy, overwhelming, potentially hazardous-to-your-health smell of ink and solvents. I think this love dates to when my dad worked at a printing company. All the fond memories and sheer excitement I felt going to work with my pops still linger in my brain to this day.

Recently, I was able to return to my tactile roots when a pharmaceutical client wanted to create some gaming pieces and signage for a large-scale product launch. They were trying to familiarize themselves with and train their sales team on a new product and wanted something that would truly engage the large crowd in attendance.

To make it all come together, the team decided a mix of both digital and print pieces would best suit their needs. And while Innovative Learning Group still has a fair number of clients who print materials, that number shrinks every year. Don’t get me wrong — digital materials have plenty of perks. They’re easy to maintain, can be swiftly updated, and have no direct distribution cost. Plus, most people can access them directly from a device that fits in their pocket.

But something gets “lost” with digital assets.

There’s just something about holding a well-designed piece in your hands. It’s tangible, memorable, and engaging in a way that pixels on a screen sometimes can’t match. So, when it comes to deciding whether to go fully digital or include print, it’s worth considering the benefits print still brings to the table. Here are three (of many) reasons why print still matters.

Creativity

One aspect I personally love about printing is the endless creative possibilities it offers. With digital creations, you can mimic different dimensions, but at the end of the day, you’re still working with a flat screen (unless you have the need for AR or VR). With print, you’re only bound by cost and, of course, what’s appropriate for your client’s needs.

For the launch, we were able to do a wide variety of printed materials in vastly different sizes. Some were as simple as a deck of flash cards. Others — like the large, magnetic multi-person crossword puzzle — were a bit more grand. We also created game boards on thick foam core, which let attendees keep track of their scores and easily navigate between the different games.

And that was just the beginning. We paired those printed elements with digital games that used touch screens and voice commands for an immersive experience. Here’s a podcast about this award-winning product launch.

Minimize Distractions and Enhance Retention

The amount of mental interruptions you receive from modern devices is staggering. From ads to text messages to an onslaught of push notifications, “distracted” feels like an understatement. With printed pieces, what you see is what you get. You’re forced to engage with a stand-alone item that doesn’t vibrate or (typically) have any negative side effects. Studies have also shown that reading on paper is better for comprehension versus reading on a digital screen as it’s a more effective way to absorb and retain information.

Real-World Experience

Printed materials can be much more engaging than digital ones. Think about the last time you read something tangible in the physical world versus the last time you read something digitally. Which experience left a stronger sense of “place” in your mind? For the product launch, our pharmaceutical client’s sales team engaged with both the printed materials and each other, all while learning more about the new product. That’s far more powerful than passively scanning a few facts alone on a screen.

At the launch event, the sales team held flash cards in their hands. They wore headbands containing key phrases related to the product. They held up paddles to help quiz each other and interacted with a massive, oversized crossword puzzle.

Bringing it All Together

This product launch was such a success that we’re working with another division at the same company to recreate it for their own launch event. While not always the best solution, printed materials deserve more consideration when thinking outside of the box to meet a client’s needs. In a world dominated by screens, tactile experiences stand out by creating powerful, lasting impressions that elevate engagement and supercharge learning.

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Additional Resources

Blog: Designing Under Pressure

Blog: Make it Pop!

Success Story: A Sales Learning Journey