Christine Yardley has a simple ritual whenever a new embellished piece comes off the press. She picks it up, turns it in the light, runs her fingers across the surface and takes in the texture. Metallic ink. Fluorescents. White ink and foils and varnishes that rise off the sheet like topography. Each job reminds her of why she fell in love with the craft in the first place.
“Print touches you in a way a pixel never can,” says Yardley, President of Print Panther Direct.
Maybe that’s why Yardley chooses a physical book over a tablet. When it comes to print over digital, she believes you retain more. She believes that holding an embellished piece is akin to trusting it more. The trust and longevity that print offers is something the digital world cannot match. The way a tactile object can carry weight, meaning and even a little luxury is the greatest of all selling points. “Print today is elevated. Brands are more focused on what they print. Print matters more.”
As today’s brands navigate a digital economy defined by speed saturation and constant noise, printers are finding themselves in an unexpected position. They are no longer simply making things. They are advising, teaching and evangelizing the role print plays in the modern marketing mix. And they are doing it at a moment when consumers are hungry for anything that feels real.
Print Panther Direct clients are responding to digital fatigue with deeper investment in tactile experiences—the kind of high-touch work that combines personalization with craftsmanship. Influencer boxes. Limited-run packaging. Bespoke mail pieces with specialty finishes. Each is evidence of what she calls a new era of intentional print. “A tangible product will touch you in a way a pixel never will. Print is trusted. It is not easily manipulated. It has longevity.”
“Start small, but start. Make sure you are clear on the package communication that there is call to action to engage with these solutions.”
– Josh Dearwater, Manager, Corporate Graphics, American Packaging Corp.
Yardley not only sees the change in how brands buy print, but in how they value it. A piece with raised varnish or foil suddenly feels like a luxury item. A printed insert in a shipped box becomes part of the brand’s voice. A personalized piece becomes something people keep. This is creating larger swaths of collaboration between printers and OEMs. “I feel like OEMs are truly partners now. They are invested in how well I can make that press sing. And I am invested in learning what the technology can do.”
When she surveys the state of the print industry today, Yardley believes printers must continue to take responsibility for their own evolution. “If you have technology without the passion, you are just going to be a commodity printer. You cannot walk in and just sell ink on paper. You have to sell the reason the ink is on the paper.”
That means creating demand instead of waiting for it. Helping clients imagine what is possible instead of reacting only to what they ask for. “We print what is required instead of printing what is unexpected,” Yardley says. “Clients want us to help them with that. We know the technology. They do not. We can de-ink the paper. We can get the foil off. Our shops use less power and fewer harmful chemicals than ever. And digital communication uses far more energy than people think. Now everything is print on demand. It is less wasteful and more thoughtful.”
The Human Touch
While the creative side of print continues to push boundaries, Si Nguyen sees something else driving the industry forward. As VP of Business Development for Duplo USA Corp., he spends much of his year at shows, in booths and on the road watching people reconnect with the industry in real time.
For Nguyen, that reconnection is one of the clearest signs that print is not just surviving in today’s digital landscape, but thriving. “Events are so important. When we have a new technology, we want to roll it out and showcase it, and we want the print community to come in and see everything. If we do not have a print show every year, then we are killing ourselves.”
What stands out most for Nguyen is the moment attendees move from watching something online to seeing it happen right in front of them. Print’s energy intensifies when it is witnessed—the sound of the machine, the smell of the ink, the way a finish catches the light. “You may see it on the internet, but when you see it live, you’re connecting with it. I remember a wide-format printer printing a painting that looked hand brushed. It wowed me. Printing is not just a flat surface anymore. We are talking about 3D printing now.”
Nguyen believes live engagement is exactly what the industry needs as digital saturation grows. The more people experience print in person, the more they understand its potential and the more they recognize it as a critical part of a digital strategy, not an alternative to it. He also understands not every printer can leave their shop to attend national shows. Many survive because one person wears multiple hats—owner, operator, estimator, salesperson. Taking even a day off feels impossible.
“If you have technology without the passion, you are just going to be a commodity printer. You cannot walk in and just sell ink on paper. You have to sell the reason the ink is on the paper.”
– Christine Yardley, President, Print Panther Direct
That insight led Duplo to create its own Roadshow to give local communities a chance to see new technology without leaving their business behind. “We said we want to bring the showcase to these markets,” Nguyen says. “Chicago. Dallas. Philly. Ohio. California. Customers walk in and say thank you for bringing this to us.”
The model is simple. Duplo partners with manufacturers industrywide, and brings print engines finishing systems and workflow tools directly to regional hubs. Printers walk in expecting a small demonstration and leave with a broader view of where the industry is headed. “It is about keeping the community up to date and showing where the industry is going,” Nguyen says.
What excites Nguyen most is that the industry’s success in a digital world is happening in places digital cannot reach. “Printing is not just ink on paper. It’s on surfaces you never thought about. It’s expanding everywhere. You can digitize a newspaper, but you cannot digitize a packaged product. You have to feel it. Touch it.”
That is why he views packaging and specialty finishing as the biggest opportunities ahead. Accordingly, Duplo is investing heavily in those directions. Take its B2-format solutions, which are built for the next generation of finishing and for printers looking to move deeper into packaging work. “Our B2 spot UV and B2 die cutter mesh together,” Nguyen says. “We do not follow the herd.”
In a digital-first world that often feels crowded with sameness, that difference matters. It gives printers something to show that cannot be skimmed, scrolled or swiped. It gives brands something their customers want to hold onto.
