Where does Print fit in?

Three bits of data caught my attention last week. They had a very large impact on where the state of the Printing Industry is today. While it is unclear to me whether or not printing will remain in the realm of printers in 50 years, it is clear that the change from trade to an automated business process is well underway.

In regards to the lose of the trade side of things and the reality that printing is a business process is clear as major non printers are now able to more readily jump into the printing business. From the office super stories to the UPS stories we see many large corporations offering print services. Digital printers are a lot easier to work with from a business stand point than offset and web printers. Again, its not a craft/trade any more.

What I find very interesting is that the combined profits off all printers is less than half the worth of Steve Jobs.  Steve Jobs wealth: CLICK HERE

Printers profits: CLICK HERE

One just has to see the rate of iPhone adoption to help understand why Apple and Steve Jobs have been able to generate such wealth.iPhone Adoption: CLICK HERE

The fact that a tremendous amount of marketing dollars are shifting the web and even smart phone advertising is forcing print to figure out where it fits in the advertising mash-up. What I would love to see if a very powerful advertising push from the print industry explaining its value and how it is an intricate piece to the grand scheme of things.

* The craft is gone

* Non printers more easily offering print

* More marketing going to the Internet and Smart Phones.

Challenging times or sure.