With the struggle of bricks and mortar book stores and the reported eclipsing of the sale of ebooks by some sources, printers of all products shouldl be keeping abreast of the news. Some in the book industry predict the transmforamtion will happen faster than expected when compared to the music and movie industry. http://prnt.in/ZJx 24 Months? 12 months?
In my observations while traveling, I still see more hard copy books than digital readers, but the volume of ereaders is definitely increasing. With the demographics of internet users constantly increasing, the cost of Kindle, iPad and other devices decreasing no one doubts the direction. Probably the “when” is the question.
What are printers doing about this direction is of bigger concern. What new revenue streams are being developed? How are printers serving their customers who choose to publish digitally? Savvy printers are offering to digitize magazines and books as a service. Other printers are moving into a broader role in working with customers.
What are your thoughts? When will the transformation take place? What should printers do about it?