Where in the World is Print?

Have you ever stopped to think about how many print images and messages you see in a day?

Some studies suggest we are exposed to more than 4,000 marketing messages daily, and while most of them may be digital, print often drives stronger brand recall.

Think about how many printed items are in your home right now. Books, newspapers, magazines, mail, greeting cards, postcards, brochures, posters or other printed art, catalogs or warranty pamphlets, and the list goes on and on.

How about your kitchen? In the pantry alone, you may have a dozen printed boxes of food or cans with printed labels. Not to mention all the printed pieces in your fridge and freezer.

If you were to take an inventory of all the printed items currently in your home, how many do you think you would find?

Now, think about your commute to work – how many print images are you encountering along your route? Billboards, bus shelter posters, street signs, banners, wrapped vehicles, and more. How many of those messages in print or printed materials do you stop to notice?

Print & Communications Shape Our Experiences

What type of print is etched in your mind from a memorable experience? Did you save a concert ticket stub from your favorite concert? As a kid, were you enthralled by colorful, quirky banners at the circus or amusement park? Or do you recall signage around the stadium of your favorite sports team?

How has print affected your experiences while traveling? Think about all the print collateral you are exposed to when you fly to a different city. Do you prefer an electronic or printed boarding pass?

How often have print billboards compelled you to stop at a destination while taking a road trip? If you’ve ever driven along 1-10 from Phoenix to El Paso, you probably recall several billboards teasing “The Thing,” an eclectic roadside attraction full of oddities. Were you curious enough to stop and see it?

If you’re from the Midwest or traveled across the country, do you remember seeing billboards nearly 200 miles out with messages to stop at the Dells? The closer you got to the city of Wisconsin Dells, the more billboards you saw for the numerous waterparks and theme parks in the southern Wisconsin city. It was so memorable for so many people, that when some of those billboards disappeared, people noticed.

Sometimes print billboards are so quirky, you can’t help but notice them. The #SaveMacGyver billboard in West Phoenix is part of national campaign to save the popular television show. It caught of the attention of the Phoenix New Times, and the culture editor wrote about it in May.

Collecting Print

You’d be surprised at what types of print pieces people collect. Vintage comic books are in demand right now as are vintage porcelain signs and vintage concert posters. But the secondary market is also full of other printed collateral that one might not think has value. For example, the collection of old certificates, such as stocks and bonds, is called scripophily.

Would anyone think old postcards might have value? There’s a market for that, too, and those postcard collectors are called deltiologists.

And, if you’re a sports fan who collects trading cards, good news – the hobby is making a comeback. In February, eBay introduced its first “State of Trading Cards” report, announcing a 142 percent gain in domestic sales — 4 million more cards sold on its website in 2020 than in 2019.

There’s no doubt we live in a digital world, but print is still a very big part of our lives. Fortunately, our team at O’Neil Printing has invested in advanced technology so we can provide our clients with the best of both print and digital worlds.