Many of the members of the public, pounced on for this ‘Ask the public’ piece, certainly didn’t. Nor had many of them considered the possibility of a career in print, or questioned if print’s environmental impact really is as bad as it’s often made out to be. But there was plenty of good news too. While many have moved to using iPads, Kindles, computers and phones for some communications and reading experiences, love of print still endures. All the industry needs to do now is harness this to get print, it’s power and the opportunities it presents, firmly back on Joe Public’s radar...

Jordan Thomas, 19

Assistant manager at Virgin Media, Brixton

I’ve never considered a career in print because it just wasn’t something that was ever mentioned at school. But I’m definitely open to any industry that captures my interest and any industry where there’s the opportunity to do well. 

I’m surprised to hear it’s still a thriving sector and that definitely makes me think I should have heard about it as a career option, and that maybe the industry should do more to publicise itself. I’m surprised because I’d assumed print was in decline. When I think of the media industry I think TV and online, though I am partial to reading the Evening Standard on the go every now and again. I love books (I’m on my third reading of The God Delusion!) but I read them all on my Kindle. My mum and grandparents still love print – every single year I buy my mum a new calendar. But I’m a completely different generation.

Sharon Sharrock, 53

Legal advisor, Lancashire

My husband and I still buy newspapers, particularly when we’re on holiday and we’ve got more time or don’t want to risk taking an iPad to the beach. We enjoy the crossword too, and I like the fact that with a newspaper you can see all of the headlines in one go, so it’s better for browsing. I buy decorative print a lot – art prints from places we visit. I bought a canvas photo print for myself recently, and a photobook as a gift for my sister-in-law’s 50th birthday. It’s a really nice way of preserving memories.

Print never came up as a career at school. I think it’s probably one of those jobs you don’t know about unless you live in the right area. You take print for granted; you don’t think about what’s involved and it doesn’t get much publicity. 

George Meyer, 74 

Retired care worker, Wimbledon

I never realised that the printing industry was so big! 

Yes, I do use print from time to time: my wife and I recently had invitations printed out for our 50th wedding anniversary celebrations. Plus we always have our photos printed and we both read a lot of books and magazines. 

I think people take for granted how useful the printing industry is. There are so many things that we use every day of our lives that have been printed. 

The industry has clearly moved along at a rapid pace over the years; things can be produced so quickly now. You can walk into a print shop with a request and it can be completed almost straight away, sometimes.

Ruth Ford, 33

Owner of a wine company, Brixton

I’m not surprised that printing is still a big industry because of all the flyers and takeaway menus you see everywhere. That really bothers me because I’m quite obsessed with the environment. My partner and I always get exactly the same clothes catalogues through the door which really bothers me.

I try to keep print use to a minimum in my business too. We have all our product information online, such as PDFs of wine lists, and I only send out offers by email. I do most of my newspaper reading online for the same reasons. That said, I do prefer to read magazines and books in print form because I associate online with work. I would be open to learning more about why print might not be so bad for the environment, but I’ve never come across any information on that.

Dino Cordella, 43

Volunteer at the Holy Cross Centre Trust, Brixton

My sister used to work at a printing business, collating newspapers, in the town that I’m originally from in Italy. I worked there for a bit, too. The actual printing process was exciting – seeing how quickly the newspapers came off the press and how efficient the production line was. But as a profession it just wasn’t my cup of tea; I’m more into human-facing work and sociology.

I don’t read that much but I do read printed books for my studies. You do sometimes have to use printed products because you can’t find older books online. I had assumed there weren’t many printing companies in London as you don’t see many jobs advertised.

Maeve McEnery, 27

Research assistant at Kings College London, originally from Ireland

I’m surprised print is still such a large sector because I would have thought even packaging printing would have fallen off a bit, what with incentives to try to reduce waste. I don’t buy magazines. I buy the odd paper but I do find I read stuff on my phone now. I still buy printed books because my sister’s boyfriend owns a bookshop and he doesn’t like this Kindle business at all!

I think newspapers will drop off because you’ll lose people buying Sunday papers as a ritual. My housemate is a teacher and she says they use iPads a lot now. But then I do still prefer to read academic reviews in print because the information stays in your mind better. I know people I work with feel the same.

Jack Berry, 23

Model and actor, Canterbury

I would have thought that print was probably on its knees, what with everything being electronic now. But I was reading something about keeping libraries going the other day so I guess there’s still quite a bit of appetite for printed books. I’m really passionate about writing, so I love the idea of writing for a magazine. Whether it was in print or online wouldn’t matter to me though. I know people who work in advertising who are really struggling to sell print classified ads now.

I’ve become very digital in what I consume because I do a lot of cycling (I’m currently training to cycle the length of the UK then the US), and so it’s just much easier to have a couple of electronic devices I can read everything on. But there is still something much more wholesome about a printed book.

Pat Clarke, 58

Musician, Brixton

I think musicians will always need flyers to promote themselves. I do some promotion on Facebook too but people respond well to flyers. Though I do see lots of flyers thrown on the floor and that annoys me. Sometimes I hand out business cards. I get them online and just look for the best value really – although I’d be furious if someone delivered them late, so customer service is important too.

The only person I know who has worked in print is a friend who used to print t-shirts. But he found it very difficult to make any money, what with his overheads, and packed it in. I had a go at printing when I was younger studying graphic design, but then went down the fine art route. Print was too precise for me. 

Wasim Hamed, 35

Business owner, Tooting

I do use printing in my day-to-day life. I print out family photos and I use business cards to promote my fabrics company. 

I still read newspapers every day and even though I have an iPad I still much prefer to read a hard copy. Yes I would consider printing as a future career; it has a lot of opportunities and different strands and it is a very modern industry, always quickly evolving with the times. 

I’m thinking about getting carrier bags printed with the phone number, address and website of my business soon. I think it will act as another form of promotion, which will be very useful for attracting customers. 

Vicky Smithson, 22

Nursery worker, Croydon

I’d have thought the printing industry was still a large sector in the UK, because of all the packaging that’s needed. Even though technology is coming on, you can’t package something with an email! I still read printed books because I like to be a bit old-school; I don’t want to be thinking about technology and how to turn a page while I’m reading. And I still love reading celebrity magazines.

Jaguar Watson, 60

Plumber, Stratford

I occasionally use print. I buy things like photo gift products – birthday cards and invitations. I’m a plumber and I advertise my business by giving out business cards, which I get printed professionally. I also print and show people pictures of my work and that helps me to get the right customers. I wouldn’t have considered printing as a career but it’s useful in the career that I do. The statistics prove how much it has moved on and how big an industry it has become, it’s clearly a lot bigger than I thought.

Chris Shittis, 42

Dentist, Elephant and Castle

I wouldn’t have thought printing was a big sector anymore because everybody can use a computer now. I personally read everything completely online. But seeing it from my father’s point of view, I think there’ll always be about the same amount of print as there is today. He has an iPad but still much prefers a newspaper. The only magazines I read take about 20 minutes for me to pick out the bits I want, so why would I pay for the whole thing?

Toby Keith, 26

Lawyer, Earls Court

Having stuff on paper when I’m reading and proofreading is very important to me. I still prefer a printed book because e-book software is not up to the standard I need yet – the pages can get lost on the software. But the magazines I read – such as Vanity Fair and The Economist – I read on my tablet. It was more publishing that was presented as a possible career at school rather than printing- we were told that it was a healthy industry to get involved with.

Manu, 31

Market trader, Brixton

We do get things printed for our business and at home. A lot of my friends use Photoshop to create flyers and for getting business cards done. Personally, I think anything that you can hand out is a good marketing opportunity.

I haven’t printed my personal photos out for a couple of years now, but I do print pictures out for work. I still read a lot in my spare time and on the stall and I definitely prefer books to a Kindle. I prefer books because we’re staring at screens 90% of the time these days anyway. And people are more likely to steal a Kindle but they’re unlikely to steal a book! I don’t read many magazines apart from The Week which I love because it’s easy to digest.

I actually did consider going into printing as a career because of my background in film and my knowledge of framing. But I had no background in print and ultimately fell into this. It is pretty high-tech now. I was impressed with the quality and turnaround of print when I used to write press releases.

Matt Peters, 29

Sales executive, Brixton

I do still use print every day; I feel that it’s still useful. I still buy books and magazines and I don’t think physical printed products like that will die out for a long time because they’re perfect for the home and when commuting, and easier to look at than a screen. 

I do still always print out my photos; they make for a nice keepsake and digital files can be easily lost. I wouldn’t rule out printing as a possible profession as I feel like it could have a lot of opportunities and different career paths.

Patricia George, 66

Shop worker, Streatham

I never realised the printing industry was that big; I suppose you don’t think of it as being so huge. I do still print my photos. I think it’s nice to keep them in an album to look at in the future, and print keeps for ever if you take care of it. I read a lot of books too. I do have an iPad, but I wouldn’t use it for reading. 

I would never have thought about the print industry as a career, although almost every business uses print in some way, even if just to print invoices or receipts. It has
certainly advanced as an industry; there seem to be more and more print shops on the high street that offer a wide range of services.”

Simon Donoghue, 44

Retail executive, Leicestershire

My image of today’s printing companies is that they’re probably still big organisations – I remember the print strikes from around 30 years ago and what a huge impact they had at the time. 

I still print out things at work and keep hard copy files, and I prefer bank statements and other bills to come in the post because it’s easier to keep control and to know where that information is. I still read the Metro and the Evening Standard in print and buy glossy home and fashion magazines. But I do buy The Times and The Daily Telegraph online and I did buy a Kindle a few years ago.

I recycle all the print I use. I don’t worry about how environmentally friendly print is much though. The printed stuff I buy is mostly recyclable and recycled, so I feel okay about that.

Jean-Pierre Laville, 33

Carpentry business owner, Hackney

I’ve actually just had 250 business cards printed for my new carpentry business. They’re good for marketing because I can start to reach out to customers I wouldn’t have been able to before. It’s happened to me so many times where I don’t have cards on me to show who I am. I’ll be getting flyers and brochures printed soon because the marketing person I’m speaking to has said that would be good. 

I still prefer the old-fashionedness of printed books, and the fact you’re more in the moment with them, whereas swiping a screen would take me out of the moment. I like reading a newspaper on the tube so you can use it to block everyone out! I can fold it and put it in my bag; you can’t fold a digital screen. You could drop a digital device and the screen would go, whereas the worst you’ll get with a book is a couple of dog-ears.

When I’ve worked with printers in the past they’ve been reasonably helpful. But they could perhaps have been more creative and shown me more interesting stuff that could be achieved with the technology.

Alvaro Benitez, 47

Stay-at-home dad, Brixton

I still like print because I’m a big cartoon and graphic novel fan, and I just don’t think those sorts of books work as well on a digital screen. The whole point is you’re really focusing on the expressions of the characters. The pictures express so much and I just think a lot of that would be lost on a screen.

I still buy printed newspapers but don’t really know why – maybe because I’m just used to it. Online you have to seek out what you want. I try to save paper by reading online but it’s not really the same.

Maria Gonzales, 48

Civil servant, Brixton

My family did used to have a Kindle but we sold it because my 11-year-old daughter, who it was mostly bought for, prefers actual books. 

I suppose I think mainly of magazines and newspapers when I think of the ‘print industry’, maybe because my father’s boss used to work at a newspaper printers who printed the Daily Mail.

I’m not surprised that printing is still such a large industry because some people still get a newspaper every morning, and you can see in every shop there are a lot of celebrity magazines.

I hate excessive packaging – where for just a little product retailers send you a kilogram of paper. And I hate all the extra inserts you get when you buy a weekend newspaper in a polythene bag, and all the junk mail that comes through the letter box. I would have thought that digital was greener than print, because people are always going on about how many trees are being cut down, and always telling us not to print things out at home.

Dan Sturgess, 24

Personal trainer, Chester

I like the idea of buying books from a bookshop, but actually I mostly order them from Amazon. It’s nice to have something non-digital, but that isn’t to say there’ll be enough people like me to keep print alive. I can’t remember the last time I bought a newspaper. Online is just easier; then you don’t have to carry it around.

I do think about the environmental impact of print but the servers that power digital communications also have an impact, so I don’t think digital’s any cleaner. And at least paper gets recycled. Every three years there’s a new generation of smartphone or iPad, so what happens to the old one? 

You have to think where the materials come from as well – there are a lot of blood materials going into these digital products. I do worry about things being chucked into landfill, but there are so many environmental things to worry about and you can’t worry about them all.

Print wasn’t mentioned in careers advice at school, but then our careers advice was terrible!

Allen Marais, 21

Salesman, originally from South Africa

I’ve never grasped the whole Kindle thing. There’s something reassuring about having a book in your hand. Turning a page is so much better than scrolling to the bottom of a screen. Do you get newspapers online? I don’t read newspapers much – I only look at the pictures and read the fun, ridiculous articles.

The environmental aspect is a bit of a worry. I know paper companies do grow a lot of trees, but to do that they need a lot of land, so they are taking over uncultivated land in order to do that. But that doesn’t sit at the front of my mind when I’m reading a book. 

It bothers me how much garbage gets printed – and that includes some of the books on bookshop shelves!

I think printing will always be around. Bill Gates’ main aim was to remove pen and paper from the office and he has not succeeded – and look how many years it’s been since he started.

Denise Morris, 58

Unemployed facilities manager, Brixton

Many years ago I used to work in the paper trade so I know that all this hype about paper production causing deforestation of the rainforests in Brazil is nonsense. The trees in the rainforests are hardwood, and hardwood doesn’t make good paper pulp. And unlike a lot of people I realise that paper makers grow their own forests and paper gets repulped and recycled anyway.

I like printed newspapers and books, but that’s possibly to do with my age, and my generation is going to disappear. I’ve noticed on Kindle adverts people tend to use them at arms length so the screen doesn’t catch the light wrongly, whereas with a book you can use it any way you want – you can lie down and read more easily. It’s strange how they advertise Kindle with more than one person reading it at the same time, which I don’t think you could do very easily because of needing it at the right angle for each person.