With the rise in popularity of iPads and other mobile devices, the argument has grown in strength that the printing industry is dying. Consumers can receive worldwide updates from the internet, so why purchase old fashioned newspapers and magazines? However, there are still many experts in the field who state the exact opposite. By making necessary adjustments, print can find new ways to thrive by integrating new technology with the old.

Angela Johnson wrote a contribution piece for Yahoo News about why she quit the printing industry. According to Johnson, it was time to leave a dying industry, and she felt that moving into healthcare was the right shift for her to make.

However, Peter Houston countered with his own argument on his blog “Flipping Pages.” While Houston stated he wished Johnson the best of luck, he vehemently disagreed with her stance that the printing industry was dying. Instead, he explained, it’s simply changing.

“No question that the printing industry is under huge pressure, holding prices and shaving margins to compete,” Houston wrote. “But again, this is true of many industries right now – from printing to healthcare, from technology manufacturing to window cleaning. Unfortunately, the sacrifice of quality is also common, but it is a symptom of short-sighted management, not of a dying industry.”

Houston said that the description of a paperless office is a myth, asking his readers to look at their desks and see if they have paper on it. But even if there is less of a need for physical product, he explained that it doesn’t mean the need for design has disappeared.

In order to continuously provide customers with quality product, companies would be well-advised in invest in professional laminating machines. These, along with paper folding machines, can create durable and polished items that can keep businesses ahead of their competition.