Gareth Ward the editor of Print Business in the UK writes:
Print is making the return to school possible thanks to some enterprising thinking, though is hampered by lack of funds and confusion over what schools need to do.
The power of print will be ably demonstrated the length and breadth of the country this week as printed graphics remind school children to keep apart from their friends, to keep washing hands and where they should stand and sit to minimize risks of spreading Covid-19. Digital simply cannot do what print can. Print has a key role in society for all ages, not just older generations.
Other printers are producing exercise books with microbial coatings, creating sanitizer stands and printed work books. This is all very encouraging for our industry but more can be done. For example what is disappointing is education’s adherence to remote learning using computers and online resource for those not in school. The evidence is clear that not every child has unfettered access to a laptop and a decent internet connection. Those without may be left behind. Yet every child can (or ought to be able to) read print. Printed books can level the learning playing field. Children can use printed materials without the distraction of Fortnite or Counterstrike.
Even if not actually producing print for schools, print companies should exploit what is happening. This is absolutely clear evidence that print is as relevant today as it has ever been. That does not mean that print is static: it is evolving, as the crisis enfolding paper and high volume printing demonstrates. But if it is changing, it is not going away. This week, every child returning school for the first time in moths will understand this.
Roads back to schools
The article Road back to school is paved with print goes into quite a bit of interesting details of what schools and printers in the UK and Scotland are doing to make it happen for kids headed back to the classrooms. Do login and have a read. NK
