Reading Habits and Format Trends
New book formats have been rising and falling in popularity for decades now. But what exactly is meant by “book formats”? For our purposes, we’ll discuss electronic media, traditional print and graphic-heavy approaches. New entertainment options have been competing for both time and attention, but reading books has held its own as a pastime. Let’s look at what the numbers say about reading habits and book formats. Book Buying Habits by Month Books sales have a seasonality. Certain times of…
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A History of Disruption in the Book Industry
For something that can be traced back hundreds or thousands of years, the book industry is still evolving. In fact, the history of the book industry has seen some of its biggest changes within the last 40 years! From ancient clay tablets to Gutenberg’s press to the appearance of the Kindle, the book industry is always adapting to disruptions. Technology Breakthroughs Way, Way Back The first step toward modern publishing is believed to have been taken between 3,000 and 4,000…
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How Print Improves Learning and Retention
When reading, there are benefits to both digital and print. You can’t deny the convenience that comes with pulling out your phone and quickly reading up on the latest breaking news. But when you’re reading for education, print is the way to go. Print improves learning and retention. Here’s how. Processing Our brains process information differently depending on the medium. When reading on a screen, we tend to skim or scan the text, looking for keywords or relevant information. This…
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The Printing Process: Offset Printing
What happens when you submit your files to print? Have you ever wondered how the printing process works? If your project is using offset printing, here’s a step-by-step breakdown of what happens at the plant. Prepress In offset printing, the colors are added to the paper in layers: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. This is referred to as CMYK. Those four letters each represent a color. The K represents black, but actually stands for the word key, key color or…
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The Benefits of Coated Vs. Uncoated Paper
Different commercial printing projects call for different kinds of paper. There are many variables, including the choice of coated paper versus uncoated paper. Coated paper has a surface coating applied to it, made from minerals and chemicals, which gives it a specific “feel”, can impact the shade of the paper and impacts brightness, or the amount of ambient light reflected back from the surface. Think of it a little like varnish on wood or primer on a wall you’re about…
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What’s in the Mailbox? Consumers Still Like Receiving Mail
As I kid, I remember going to my grandmother’s house and rifling through the catalogs she kept on her coffee table. Many of them sold clothes that could have been worn by an extra on “The Golden Girls.” Even though I was deep into my off-brand JNCO jeans phase, I still spent hours looking through the catalogs and magazines she accumulated. I still love looking through catalogs and magazines. And I’m not alone. The data shows that consumers enjoy receiving…
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