Print on Demand

“Meanwhile, businesses such as Hewlett-Packard claim to be in the process of transforming themselves from a printer company to a printing company, focused on “Print 2.0... that embraces the Web as a channel to make printing more accessible, customizable and less expensive”.

    In this case, I believe that Printing on Demand has transformed old publishing practices.  Hewlett-Packard is able to adapt to the new environments supplied by the digital age and propel themselves forward into a medium that is somewhat familiar to them but with hardly any experience with.  This is a whole new dimension.  This way they are able to master both mediums and profit as a result of expanding their business.  By experimenting with their new digital print program, they are able to help their old customers move into the future as well as acquire new customers as a result of their up to date company.  This may however cut out a middle man that could have made money from transcribing the text into a printed copy.

Death of Paper

One sentence that really stuck with me from Ludovico’s reading was “As for the future of the printed page--”It will be abandoned”, except perhaps for some limited use in business and private communications (actually, what we see happening nowadays is exactly the opposite: since the mid-1990s, personal communication has relied less and less on paper, except in a few formal occasions).” page 18.  These few lines really made me think about the role that the paper note, invitation, and letter play in today’s society.  In junior high, boys ask girls to be their girlfriends by passing notes, just a torn piece of paper with the words “circle: yes, no or maybe”.  In High School, they move on to text messages.  This reminds me of the movie The Notebook.  Noah writes Allie 365 letters.  Once everyday for a year.  In the romantic sense, this is a lot more appealing than texting with abbreviations like “last nite was gr8. Lets go out again soon. ttyl.” The fact that most wedding invitations aren’t “e-vites” but invites.  The thrill of even receiving a letter or package or even a bill in the mail is much more thrilling than a blank email that has your name inserted at the top.  There is no personalization.  I don’t think that the printed page should ever be abandoned.  Especially as artists, we are extremely concerned with aesthetic appeal.  There is so much more to critique and analyze with a formal handwritten wedding invitation than an email from 9:38 this morning. Although I love typefaces and believe that they are all beautiful in their own respective manners, A person's handwriting can tell a lot about a person.

Wonderland

Gass argues that screens can only be viewed in particular places, whereas books can travel with the reader.  I agree with Gass in that books contain certain elements that contribute to the way the reader receives and comprehends the story in ways that a screen cannot accomplish. He considers books to be less replaceable than people.  Words on a screen are only shadows and can disappear in an instant.  Books are tangible which add a personal quality as well as a physical activity to turn the page, fold the corner to bookmark, etc. Because I don’t read a lot, I didn’t feel a connection to the article as much as others may have connected with it. 

This book is a newer version than what I grew up reading. I have only opened it a few times. I had better intentions.  I planned on rereading the book that consumed my childhood with fantasy, now it just sits on my shelf.  Alice in Wonderland began as a huge misunderstanding to me, now it makes perfect sense.  A girl falls down a rabbit hole, eats magic bread and drinks magic juice, grows, shrinks, plays croquet with an evil queen.  Makes perfect sense. Its gold rimmed pages shine every time the light shines on it.  It smells new.  Untouched. Actually, I hate reading. Having your nose stuck in a book all day is no fun to me.  The nostalgia is consuming me. Who needs you anyway, Alice?