When Design & Paper first began celebrating outstanding print, every conversation about paper seemed to begin with the same question: Will print survive the digital age?
It was a reasonable concern. Screens were becoming more sophisticated, information was moving online at an unprecedented pace, and many predicted that books, magazines, packaging, and printed communication would gradually become relics of another era. Yet, more than a decade later, the question feels surprisingly outdated. Print did survive. More importantly, it found a new purpose.
As I write what will be my final article as Head Editor of Design & Paper after nearly fourteen years, I find myself reflecting not only on how much the industry has changed, but on how much it has taught me. Across hundreds of articles and countless conversations with designers, printers, publishers, paper mills, artists, and makers from around the world, one lesson has remained remarkably consistent: great design has never been about choosing between digital and physical. It has always been about choosing the right medium to tell a story.
We Were Asking the Wrong Question
Looking back, perhaps we spent too much time wondering whether print would disappear, when we should have been asking how it would evolve. Because it did evolve. Print no longer competes with digital on speed, convenience, or volume. It doesn’t need to. Digital excels at delivering information instantly, connecting people across continents, and making creativity more accessible than ever before. Print offers something entirely different. It invites us to slow down. To notice. To engage. To remember. To feel.
This shift has become increasingly apparent over the years. Independent magazines have flourished by becoming objects worth collecting rather than simply reading. Packaging has transformed from a protective necessity into a powerful storytelling tool for brands. Books have become carefully crafted experiences that celebrate typography, binding, paper selection, and special print finishes as much as the words they contain.
The question was never whether paper could compete with screens. The question was whether it could offer something screens never could. Again and again, it has answered with quiet confidence.
What Paper Has Taught Me
If there is one unexpected gift that writing for Design & Paper has given me, it is that paper has changed the way I look at design itself. As before, I might have held paper in the role of support. The canvas for the content. But over the years, as I’ve had the privilege to speak with and learn from paper makers, printers, publishers, artists, designers, and craftsmen from around the world, their passion has become infectious. Their dedication to refining a paper tool or collection, perfecting a print finish, preserving traditional techniques, excitement over a new paper grade and its feel, or finding the exact match from idea to end product, is what makes the paper the star of the show.
Paper is not passive. Paper is everything it makes you feel. And the love and craftsmanship that was put into it, before it ever even is turned into an end product – is where the story begins.
The paper choice determines how the color shows before the ink even touches it. It changes how typography is perceived. It affects the sound of turning a page, the weight of a book in your hands, the first impression of a package before it is even opened. It shapes expectations long before we consciously notice it.
Over the years, Design & Paper has celebrated extraordinary paper engineering, intricate bookbinding, experimental print techniques, remarkable artists transforming paper into sculpture, innovative packaging that elevated everyday products into memorable experiences, and publications that proved a magazine can be as much an object as a source of information. We’ve explored the tactile beauty of uncoated papers, marvelled at the precision of embossing and foil stamping, admired centuries-old marbling techniques alongside cutting-edge digital printing, and discovered how sustainability and innovation continue to inspire one another rather than stand in opposition. Each story written has reinforced the same idea: material choice matters. Not because they are luxurious. Not because they are traditional. But because they influence how people feel. And in design, emotion has always been just as important as information.
The More Digital We Become, the More We Value the Tangible
The arrival of AI has once again sparked predictions and disputes on the future of creativity and design. AI can generate images within seconds. It can write text, suggest layouts, create animations, and imitate artistic styles with astonishing speed. The creative landscape and our tools are developing faster than ever before. Yet, rather than making paper feel less relevant, these developments have highlighted something that has always been true. Technology can accelerate creation. It cannot replace intention.
The value of a beautifully printed book was never found solely in its content. It lies in the decisions behind it: selecting the right paper, refining the typography, balancing white space, choosing a binding that enhances the reading experience, collaborating with skilled printers, and making hundreds of thoughtful choices that transform information into an object worth keeping.
As digital content becomes increasingly abundant, physical objects become increasingly meaningful. Not because they are scarce, but because they are deliberate. In a world where almost anything can be generated instantly, craftsmanship becomes more visible. Thoughtfulness becomes more valuable. Materiality becomes more memorable. Perhaps this is why we continue to see a renewed appreciation for beautifully produced books, premium packaging, artist publications, printed photography, and independent magazines. They remind us that experiencing design is about far more than consuming information. It is about connection.
Print Has Never Been More Human
One of the greatest misconceptions about print is that it belongs to the past. In reality, it has always adapted. From the invention of movable type to industrial papermaking, from offset lithography to digital printing, from recycled fibres to innovative paper compositions, the paper industry has never stood still. It has continuously embraced new technologies, developed more sustainable solutions, refined production methods, and challenged designers to rethink what is possible.
The future of paper is not found in resisting change. It is found in evolving alongside it. That is why I remain optimistic.
The next generation of designers will undoubtedly use tools that scarcely existed when Design & Paper first launched. AI will become a permanent instrument in the creative toolbox. New materials will emerge. Printing technologies will continue to advance. Sustainability will remain one of the industry’s defining priorities. But the fundamental reason we create printed objects will remain unchanged. Humans are tactile creatures. We remember through touch as much as sight. We treasure objects that age with us. We still make footnotes in books and collect magazines. We send beautifully printed invitations and cards on special occasions and on holidays. We still pause to admire exceptional packaging before opening it. We still understand quality with our hands and spark emotion through tactility.
After nearly fourteen years of writing for Design & Paper, I don’t believe paper’s greatest strength is that it carries ink. Its greatest strength is that it carries meaning.