With “More than Print”, Elanders Print & Packaging has launched its own podcast – and invited a real print enthusiast for the very first episode. In a conversation with Steven Asumang, Head of Marketing & E-Commerce, Bernd Zipper explains why print is sexy even (or especially) in an increasingly digital world, why media use is like a toolbox that everyone should be able to put together freely, and what print stores are able to hold their own. Curious?
Even though the podcast is called “More than Print,” this first episode in particular could just as easily have been called “Print is more,” because the thing that – spoiler alert – runs through the entire conversation is the realization that print is more.
Podcast hosts Steven Asumang and Bernd Zipper also discuss controversial issues. For example, what advantage do printed media have over digital media, given that they store knowledge just as well as print and can also be searched. Or whether print will still exist at all in the future in view of digitization and AI? What value does print have, even for digital natives, and why is it exciting for them to work in the printing industry?
It’s “in” to be able to touch, but also to own.
The exciting thing, says Zipper, is that print, unlike other media genres, can literally be felt, smelled – and thus experienced in a very special way. For example, the content of a novel or reference book becomes more accessible and memorable. It’s no wonder that more books are currently being printed than ever before, even if the print run of the individual titles is getting smaller.
But it’s not just about the visual, olfactory or tactile level of print products. Because sometimes it’s simply about owning: “The more digital we become, the more valuable it is that things are simply there,” says Zipper. It is no wonder that even young people like to put books on their shelves or love photo books.
Endless product diversity
What’s more, print is so much more than just books, which the two interviewees discuss using packaging – and yes, flooring designs – as an example. “Print is everywhere,” says the chairman of the Initiative Online Print and zipcon CEO. Just as digital surrounds us everywhere. That’s why, he said, media use is also like a set box that can be freely designed by anyone and contain a little bit of everything. “The world is never black or white,” emphasizes Zipper, who is himself a big fan of digital technologies and gadgets.
Is it still cool to work in the printing industry?
And it’s probably exactly what makes a job in the print industry so exciting: Not only the diversity that print offers, but also the opportunity to combine both worlds and develop exciting new areas of business. The More-than-Print podcast is therefore by no means just a plea for print: for it is precisely where the companies in the printing industry are concerned that Zipper and Asumang also take those responsible to task. “Agile working” and the importance of craftsmanship are just two of many keywords here. After all, an AI alone cannot operate a printing press.
As for why suddenly the question of what modern print shops should look like is all about Asterix and Obelix – you can simply listen to that for yourself on all the well-known podcast platforms (Podcast is only available in German): Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer and Podcast.de.
