From the Editor: The Decade Ahead

WHAT WILL your in-plant look like 10 years from now? That question was offered for consideration on a popular in-plant listserv recently. Responses ranged from pessimistic (in-plants will be history) to hopeful (we will provide new and varied services), with some managers sharing tales of downsizing, and others of business growth. Overall, though, there was a sense of unease in the responses as managers tried to imagine their future roles in a digital world.

Every new communication technology, from copiers to the Internet, has stirred fear in printers' hearts. Still, printers have always adapted, incorporating the new technologies.

Now, as we watch tablets and e-readers cut into the market for printed books, it sure doesn't seem wise to bet your future on paper books, manuals or even course packs. True, studies indicate today's e-readers are not well suited for studying (limitations in margin note taking, ineffective for skimming, lower data retention vs. paper reading), but tablet manufacturers will address these shortcomings soon enough.

Some printers are adapting by redefining themselves as digital information providers, disseminating data in the most appropriate way, whether on paper, a tablet, a mobile device or a Web site. The Government Printing Office just designed an application for mobile devices to let users search for members of Congress—the first of many GPO apps, I'm sure.

As for the printed piece, there are still plenty of items unlikely to transition to a tablet. Brochures, posters, envelopes and direct mail are among the top products printed by in-plants. You won't find them on a Kindle any time soon. Wide-format printing offers opportunities like never before, like vehicle wraps, outdoor banners—even wallpaper. Digital envelope printing is taking off. Photo books are all the rage. And there's an ongoing need for scanning and archiving.

Then there's cross-media marketing, a growing opportunity, and yet one that in-plants are failing to explore. An InfoTrends study (see page 20) reveals that only 38 percent of in-plants offer cross-media marketing services, compared to nearly 60 percent of commercial printers. Those that haven't looked into this yet risk losing this work to outside providers.

By offering cross-media marketing (i.e. the use of two or more media types, such as print, e-mail, Web, mobile), in-plants can enhance their strategic relevance, increase the value of their services, forge stronger bonds with customers, create new service streams and better compete with outside printers.

As you move into cross-media services, you will no doubt encounter those who feel that e-media alone can get their message out, without a print component. It's your job to point out the poor response rates others have gotten after attempting to replace direct mail with e-mail. You can compile some data to back you up from sites like chooseprint.org.

The years ahead will bring increasingly sophisticated e-devices, so in-plants need to anticipate which of the products they print will be usurped and come up with new services that will add value to the organization.