The News in Print: Genevieve Lewis
Genevieve Lewis is editor of monthly trade publications Print Monthly and SignLink. In this interview, she talks to Karis Copp about the industry’s surprises and delights, current trends, and how we can build a better future for print, as well as a look ahead to this year’s Print Show, and new co-located event The Sign Show.
How did you get into the print industry?
I studied sports journalism at Solent University – I love sport and have always wanted to write. Even when I was little, my nan used to buy me block pads that looked like books, and I would design my own front covers and write my own story, so I had always wanted to be a writer in print. I always wanted to work for a magazine or local newspaper, but I didn’t set out to work at an actual ‘print’ magazine! I’m from the West Country, so a move to Bristol for work after university is a natural progression for kids from the countryside, and I came across a news reporter role at Print Monthly and thought, that looks interesting – let’s go for it. Over the last two and a half years I’ve moved up the ranks, becoming editor of Print Monthly and SignLink at the end of 2018.
Entering the print industry as an outsider, was there anything that surprised you about print?
What surprised me was the sheer vastness of it. So many things are printed that you just take it for granted, but you don’t realise how much has gone into a piece of packaging for example. From the substrate, to the actual print process, then finishing, embellishments – there’s just so much more to what you’re holding in your hand, so that surprised me. Also, the constant innovation; obviously some areas have plateaued because the market is so full. But take the Landa S10P digital press, for example, seeing that at Route 1 Print’s recent open house event to unveil the press, even the look of the machine has a ‘space-age’, futuristic feel to it. That constant innovation, engineering, R&D, it’s almost like a secret world – it’s one of the largest industries in the UK, and people don’t realise it. It shouldn’t be a secret; print companies should be shouting from the rooftops about what they do. As well as surprising, coming into the industry is daunting because everyone is so knowledgeable, but that just means you have an opportunity to learn from them.
What are some of your favourite aspects of covering the print industry as a journalist?
While you’re covering print, you could also be covering things like fashion, interiors, things that might be interesting to you on a personal level, and get to learn how these things are made, what machine has been used, the whole process. I went to an event with Epson and Richard Quinn once, who has literally received an award from the Queen herself and dressed celebrities including Cardi B and Jennifer Lopez. It’s cool to think, wow, I've met this prestigious designer and I know the equipment and processes that were used to make that. Also as a huge sport fan, at a visit to a manufacturer, I learned about the business that has the contract to print all of the numbers and names on the Premier League kits – I really enjoy being able to link things I’ve loved my whole life, like football, to print.
What trends are you picking up on in the print industry?
Sustainability is a topic that a lot of people in print are thinking about, from substrates to packaging, to your footprint, the way you send out your product, reducing waste – it’s only going to become more important, especially as governments hopefully begin to wake up to the matter. I also think there are some cool trends happening when it comes to the different ways that you can print on textiles, particularly when it comes to home interiors from printing wallpaper to printing floor tiles to printing fabric that can then be made into a sofa. I just think it’s a really exciting area that I've always been interested in and watching it progress.
What are your thoughts on the need to attract more women and young people into the print industry?
I think we have to tackle the problem at the root. In terms of getting more young people, women, and ethnic minorities into print, we need to push for more apprenticeships, something organisations like the BPIF and The Printing Charity work very hard to achieve. The only way we are going to see improvement is by actually going into schools and advocating for the print industry as an exciting industry to work in, and appeal to people from all kinds of backgrounds. Then they will have the opportunity to progress into print’s top roles, as at the moment it is still very white, middle-aged and male dominated.
How are plans coming along for The Print Show 2020?
This year, we also have the launch of the co-located event The Sign Show, so it’s definitely going to be interesting to see if that gives it a new personality. It’s going well, and last year’s introduction of the celebrity book signing was an exciting addition to the show, and we’re looking forward to bringing some new celebrities to the show this year – boxing legend Frank Bruno is already confirmed. The team are busy working on the floorplan. The Print Show always gives me such a buzz because I get to see a lot of my favourite people in the industry in one place. I get to have really fun, good conversations and I get to learn more and see what’s new. It’s really inspiring because you can get so many ideas, and if I can get so many ideas for the magazine and for future features and articles, then I can’t even imagine what it’s like for business owners that visit the show and what they take home to their own businesses. That’s why I think The Print Show and Sign Show 2020 are going to be successful – we are in difficult times, and sometimes it just takes that little idea to help you prosper.
It’s no secret that it’s a tough time for trade shows, but I think you just have to keep working hard at it. There is still an appetite for a UK show, it’s important to keep striving for the right concept that gives people what they want and makes them want to attend. Last year, we were slightly down on numbers, but we expected that and it wasn’t a surprise. The thing for us now, and probably for other shows on the UK calendar, is ensuring that it doesn’t continue to fall. So that’s why I say hopefully with the two shows this year it gives it a new personality, and hopefully, we’ll make a success of it.
Why did organisers choose to move the first day of the show to a Sunday this year?
The organisers chose a Sunday because, again, this is all to help the businesses that want to attend. Obviously, a lot of print and sign business owners are small companies or one-man bands, who might not be able to take a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday out of their schedule. So, starting it on Sunday will hopefully mean we provide enough attraction for them to take a day out, but that also means that they won't lose time in the workshop or the office, and they can come up on Sunday and see for themselves what the industry has on offer.
What are your thoughts on the future of the industry?
It’s important to remember that print isn’t dying, it’s just evolving. Automation within the industry won’t necessarily mean that everything is going to be taken over by robots and people will be losing their jobs, but that roles will adapt to work alongside those automation processes, so jobs will change. That’s something I noticed from my first trip to FESPA, Canon for example had a major focus on robotics. I saw lots of integration happening – print needs to adapt to make sure the industry keeps moving smoothly. Utilising the internet is key too, it’s an area that scares a lot of printers because they feel like they will be overrun by web to print, but that’s not the case. So many people do order online, and want to be able to go online and look at your product - if the website isn’t up to scratch, people think, ‘are these guys a bit outdated? Maybe we should look elsewhere’. Again, getting younger people with different perspectives into the industry means there is no telling what fresh ideas they will come up with. It’s like the idea that the person developing a cure for cancer will never be able to do it without the right education and opportunity - the one person you pick could create something amazing and innovative.