When I was working in my first graphic design job, I remember overhearing a conversation. We were a small non profit with a problem: with sudden funding cuts, we needed to be more cost-effective, and that meant we had to rethink our print operations. That got me thinking: what’s the environmental footprint of designing for print vs digital? Are we moving away from print as designers?
Unsustainable Print
Globally, paper (and ink) are major waste sources. Paper is (much of the time) recyclable, but that doesn’t account for the entire print lifecycle: logging, print mills, contaminated paper that has to go to the landfill, toxic products from ink… et cetera.
In my previous job, printing was also a money drain. For every yearly event, the company had been printing new stationery, including various signs, brochures, table cards, and such… and it was all branded. We couldn’t reuse the signs branded with ‘2023 edition of X event’ in 2024 or 2025. So into the trash it went.
When the company had to cut down on materials, I think it was a blessing in disguise. We were forced to be smarter, which also translated into a reduced environmental footprint.
One of the most ingenious concepts from my former company was not only removing the branding on stationery, but creating generalized designs, say, for our long-term sponsors. We could reuse the same signs for different types of events.
And the kicker is this: in 90% of instances, no one cares about single-use print. This is the distinction between valuable print (sponsor signs, print for event spaces, specialty magazines) and stuff that ends up in a landfill–your brochures, your flyers, your business cards, your place cards, your branded swag.
But What About Digital?
Molly, you might say (if you’re keeping tabs with the news/AI), digital media also has an environmental tax. That’s certainly true. But services like Adobe Cloud are demonstrably reducing the carbon footprint of design tasks; digitally shareable and signable documents are a huge part of this, not just in design but in all fields.
AI Is its own beast that I will talk about later on in depth–and yes, it is an issue, but a separate one. Here I’m talking about print vs digital terms of logistics. You’re actually saving money by switching to digital. Win-win. AI (in design) is primarily about productivity/capital gains and, although it’s environmentally harmful, it’s got a lot of perks for employers.
The future of print
I don’t want it to sound like I’m an anti-print crusader. Physical media is important. Digital has some pitfalls: power/electricity outages, and in some cases being less accessible. There are times where digital media just doesn’t deliver in the way print can. In my house: print books over Kindle, for life.
I think we’re already seeing the disappearance of a lot of single-use paper/physical materials. In my own recent experience, I’ve done a lot of designing for Instagram and slideshow… meanwhile, I pretty much have forgotten how to prep a document with die lines for print. I’m kidding! (Not really)
I think print will become its own niche/specialty in design, rather than something every designer deals with on a regular basis. I may be off the mark, but who knows?
Molly Buccini 
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