Loved this feature about digital vs printed maps, and I’m not surprised it proved to be our most-read in-depth article over the past couple of weeks. Coincidentally, just as it was published a chum who’s not involved in the printing industry was telling me how her teenage nephew had called her a ‘dinosaur’ for having a road atlas in the back of her car. Generational differences, eh? I hardly ever look at my printed copy of the London A-Z anymore, but I still love printed maps and atlases. And, per the article, I agree that the print versions really come into their own when you want a wider view of an area, or you’re exploring somewhere new. I can’t possibly visit a new town or city without picking up the sort of free, fold-out map that is the staple of tourist offices everywhere. Then, adjourn to a local bar to pore over the contents and gain a sense of orientation. Will the younger generation of so-called ‘digital natives’ like my friend’s nephew every feel the same? Or will they just follow the glowing screen of their mobile or satnav and hope to never be out of signal range and/or stuck with only Apple Maps for guidance? The serious side to all the jokes about Apple’s hapless mapping app being this warning by Australian police that relying on the duff info therein could be life-threatening. And maps have also moved into new print formats. There are fewer scenes of confusion at Hammersmith Broadway, not far from PrintWeek Towers, nowadays thanks to the monolith map signs that help puzzled pedestrians find their bearings. Something that’s music to the ears of Halstan, which – as well as specialist music publishing funnily enough – is also doing very nicely thank-you out of cartography via its purchase of Pindar Creative. The many forms of printed maps have a lot of life in them yet.