What does the descriptor "digital" mean to you? Yesterday I was asked what a digital printing plate was. No doubt it makes perfect sense to Kodak, Agfa et al when they describe their CTP plates thus, but it's actually quite a confusing use of terminology when you think about it.

This also reminded me about a conversation a while back with a contact who was astounded that a special "digital" supplement in PrintWeek's sister title Marketing didn't have any digital printers in it. The supplement in question was actually about digital marketing, and was focused on all the online and mobile media stuff that garners so many column inches. Then of course there's digital TV, and digital radio.

As it happens this very week is London Digital Week "bringing together the digital-orientated industries in and around London under one umbrella event". Print does get a mention as a related discipline, hoorah, amid a long list of subject matters that includes digital marketing, interaction design, advertising, planning, strategy, branding, social media, gaming, television, film, post production, motion graphics, mobile, fashion, interior design and architecture. Phew. It's good to see that the marvellous Moo (motto: "we love print") is involved, as is Reading-based large-format specialist VGL, which I note has "digital print solutions" as the strapline on its website.

But all of this made me think that we may need to take a fresh look at our use of terminology. In this industry I think it's fair to say that most people would automatically think digital referred to digital printing, whereas in our wider client base they are thinking about something else altogether. Hence, a digital campaign could mean two entirely different things.