Three practical tips and trends for print in 2020

Now that we have just passed the threshold of a new decade, many wonder whether print is still of this time. After all, everything becomes digital, right? Especially now that the corona period accelerates digital transformation. The truth is, print is still fully alive, and is likely to never completely disappear, although it does take other forms. People still read better from paper than from a screen - and it is likely that this will never change - and many things simply cannot be made digital. Think of simple products such as stickers or printed packaging material. The latter category has even gained enormous ground in recent years. Therefore: three practical tips and trends for print in 2020.

1. Sustainability

It is a theme that returns in every industry, partly because of the enormous social interest in everything that has to do with climate and nature: sustainability. This theme is also becoming more important in the printing industry, in two ways: on the one hand regarding the raw materials which are consumed, on the other hand as regards the manner which is printed on.

For example, if you use printed, luxury packaging material, it is very important to use recycled, environmentally friendly material as much as possible (and therefore as little plastic as possible!) And to have the printing applied in a high-quality, climate-neutral manner. The amount of printing work determines the way in which you print (laser or ink, for example). Get informed and choose the sustainable solution.

Sustainability will no longer be a 'nice extra' in 2020, but a firm precondition for healthy entrepreneurship. Compared to many other industries, print in its current form is already relatively durable, so you have an edge in that regard.

2. Anytime, anywhere, any device

Many people still have the (unjustified) belief that self-printing is difficult and outdated. Despite the fact that Wi-Fi printers were actually ahead of their time, when you consider that our homes are slowly filling up with IoT devices that all need to be connected to our Wi-Fi network, many people see them as old-fashioned. And this while the developments have not stood still and continue to march steadily in 2020.

What we will see in 2020 is that printing on the go will integrate more and more. This is of course related to cloud solutions for the office, which make it increasingly easier to consult and edit all your digital documents via different devices. Despite the fact that many entrepreneurs strive for one paperless office, we can't avoid printing a lot of documents too - think of contracts to be signed or contracts to be handed over on paper. It anytime, anywhere, any device being able to start print jobs - and more importantly, being confident that the documents are ready to use when you arrive at the office - is very valuable for many entrepreneurs.

3. Printing solutions as a service

Notary offices, employment agencies, law firms - they use paper pallets and don't want to spend their precious time arranging their printing solutions. Partly because of the innovations in the printing industry, as described above, it is becoming increasingly interesting for such companies to outsource the design of printing solutions.

The service provision for print will therefore continue to grow steadily in 2020. Especially SMEs and larger companies have come back from the belief that print is something you do yourself and conclude service contracts for this. Everything to ensure that it always works, that it works quickly and that it works conveniently. After all, you don't want to see your expensive paid paralegal frolicking with a printer for an hour and a half on Monday morning. And that service also includes the obligation to highlight the latest technological innovations in the field of print; the knife cuts both ways.

Curious about more printing trends 2020? HP compiled these profitable printing trends for 2020: