Margie Dana Has Seen the Future of Print Buying

Margie Dana has seen the future of print buying and it still looks bright

Margie Dana, noted Print Industry advocate and founder of Print Buyers International, visited the Advertising Production Association of Orange County (APAOC) on October 22 via teleconference to share some insights about the research study she conducted along with industry consultant and researcher John Zarwan of 315 Print Buyers. Their results and analysis have been compiled into a 40-page report “The New Print Buyers: Who They Are, What They Want and What You Should Do.”

Dana started on a positive note stating, “The good news is there is good news.” Dana used Survey Monkey to maintain anonymity to the respondents of the 40 question survey conducted in July 2013 and she got them to spill the beans about many aspects of their jobs and how they feel about the future of their profession.

Most buyers reported that their budgets were steady or expected to increase, definitely good news for the printers in the room. Half had budgets of over $1million.

If you were to picture the typical Print Buyer, she (63% were female) would look a lot like, well, me! She is over 45, has 16+ years experience, works in a corporate environment in a marketing or creative department, makes a decent salary and appreciates the tactile process of printing. She understands the art of printing and enjoys collaborating with the graphic designer and printer in choosing the right paper and equipment for the job.

Dana and Zarwan's report goes on to illuminate several shifts in our industry, from the actual print buyer's role, to the next generation and what we want from our print vendors. "Print Buyers want new print concepts and innovations from their printer," Dana said. Partly because the role of the buyer has expanded to include a broader marketing role. She predicts that there will be fewer sole Print Buyers, as they expand their tool kits and learn more digital skills.

At one moment during the teleconference we lost contact with Dana visually. We could still hear her but lost her presentation and physical inset. After about 30 seconds of confusion, a person in the audience quietly walked to the front of the room and jiggled the mouse to refresh the screen. Ah, back to our presentation.


And that brings us to the next generation and their desire to work more online. We have already seen a successful shift of proofing from traditional hard proofs to online soft proofs. Buyers are looking for faster and cheaper ways to communicate with their clients. Working online doesn't just mean purchasing products. 

APAOC President Julie Esler, Production Manager at DGWB Advertising, brought up a good point as one of the younger people in our profession. Esler said she expects her vendors to have a good online presence to show they are "with it and know how to communicate."  She said she is much more likely to want to work with someone who knows to text her info rather than send a fax. 

The future of print is still bright and the light is coming from your desktop, tablet and phone. All you need is the love of print and your finger to keep up (or someone to jiggle the mouse).

Dana and Zarwan’s report may be purchased at http://margiedana.com/store/reports/. 

#Print   #MargieDana   #JohnZarwan   #TheAPAOC