Print Media Vs Electronic Media

We are living in a rapidly developing and modernized era where technology is taking charge in
every walks of our life. This technology may come with many advantages and disadvantages as
well. Every development is due to rapid modernization, improvement of old administration
methods and the use of new technology to make things even better. However with the growing
modernization human demand for knowledge is also increasing. Media serves an important role
in keeping people informed about the events and innovations around the globe. This information
may reach us in two forms, either through print media which is the oldest method, or the other
one can be electronic media. With the improvement of electronic media during past few years
and daily reports on achievements, electronic media has dominated over print media during past
few years. Print media is the oldest form of Mass Media, and still not outdated. Daily about 70%
of people start their day by reading newspaper, which is the oldest media around the world.
Newspaper gives us information about whole world within few minutes of reading session, with a
choice to skip the topics that we are not really interested about.
Print Media still forms an important part of Media Industry which has been given a competition by
electronic media and a new technology called e-newspaper applications. But still newspaper
holds its value even today and is competing strongly with technology backed media. Basically
said, words printed with ink on paper that is attached in different ways, provides different kinds
of information, education and entertainment. These may consists of chapters or themes,
pictures, advertising and so on and mostly big emphasis is made on make-up and attractive
appearance.
Print Media
Printing is a process for reproducing text and images, typically with ink on paper using a printing
press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an essential part of
publishing and transaction printing. Print media make use of the printing means to spread some
news, information or message among the large number of people. Print gives a broader range of
access to the knowledge about particular topic and enables future generations to build directly
on the intellectual achievements of earlier ones without the changes arising within verbal
traditions. Print media today is being challenged by its electronic counterpart. But there are
several unique advantages that help both the mediums to create a niche place in the media
industry. Print media is more capable than electronic media to deliver localized news that may
interest city or district residents, also helpful in educational purpose. Print media can be in the
form of newspaper, magazines, book or printed journals and pamphlets.
Three important types of Print Media
Newspapers, that unite news, articles and advertisement in a frequent and regular manner and
present them in an attractive manner that creates interest of the reader along with providing
accurate and authentic information about the latest events around the world and other aspects
of life related to health, entertainment and other social grounds.
Magazines focus on deeper research of particular topic. Magazines generally offer feature stories,
interpretation, interviews, analysis or research. Basic feature of the magazine is its focus towards

a particular topic. Whereas a newspaper contains information from every social aspect of life, the
magazines concentrate their complete focus over a particular topic and provide a complete
research analysis about that topic. For example there are certain magazines available in the
market that focuses particularly a single topic like fashion, technology, cars or interior.
Another form of print media includes books; these can be seen as the cultural heritage providing
literature, scientific reports, history etc. The books can be referred to as textbooks or general
literature or story books available in the market which still holds its readership even today. There
are many, who are still addicted to the novel stories or some short stories by various writers.
These books are not only in the form of stories but also in the form of biographies, about
historical events, some research work or may contain views about some social cause.
Print Media has educated and informed masses from long time and is searching a large audience,
but it mainly refers to educated readers and those who are not used to handle electronic media.
Newspapers, as well as magazines are financed through advertising and circulation which makes
ad more effective. Its not so easy to publish a book successfully without proper funding, which is
provided by the advertisers or publishers.
Electronic Media
Electronic media use electronics or electromechanical energy for the audience to access the
content. This electronic information may be accessed in many ways, either through internet,
television or radio. This is in contrast to static media (mainly print media), which today are most
commonly created electronically, but never required electronics to be accessed by the user, and
are generally in the printed form. The primary electronic media sources familiar to the general
public are in the form of news channel, radio presentation, video recordings, audio recordings,
multimedia presentations, CD-ROM and online content. Most new media are in the form of digital
media. However, electronic media may be in either analog or digital format. Any equipment used
in the electronic communication may be considered electronic media and these equipments may
include television, radio, computer or telephone. News is the most common form of electronic
media. Information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of
mouth to a third-party or mass audience is provided by the news channels.
Electronic media has emerged as a powerful source for making people aware about the latest
happenings around the world. Today there are more than 100 news channels giving information
about various national and international events related to the field of sports, business, politics
and fashion. These days there are special channels dedicated variously for sports and business
etc. that telecast news related to these to these areas only. One can easily access these channels
without paying anything extra. Also there are separate channels and articles available on the
internet that discuss about a particular topic and make you aware of the various facts about your
desired topic.
General Comparison
Both print media and electronic media are in a constant state of competition, both competing to
super pass each other. Both of the medium have their own set of unique features that make
them distinct from one another. These basic points of difference are:
Print Media

Choice of reading, that is user is free to read anytime from the newspaper, whatever he wish to
read and can be carried anywhere.
Much affordable form of media, when compared with the electronic media
For an individual, its quite an easy proof for any sort of information People specially living in
rural areas can easily afford a newspaper as compared to TVs etc.
User do not require any kind of medium like radio, television etc. for the data transmission
It is your choice to access this media at any point of time, not like electric media where a
program is telecasted at a particular prescribed time.
Relatively easier form of accessibility public for campaigns etc
Print media allows reader to store away articles that be used any time in the future.
Electronic Media
A more advanced form of media.
Introduces relatively more revenues and job opportunities as compared to the printed forms
Relatively more innovative form of media and includes motion pictures, animation etc. which
make things even more attractive
A variety of options available unlike print media where one has to stick on to a single set of
document. People can surf through different channels, site etc. whatever they like or want
Very appropriate for immediate broadcast like result of instant POLLS, reviews of public and some
match results
Works better for people with hearing and seeing disabilities.
Can be reached faster and can be made LIVE.
Can be very effective for spreading awareness at national and international level
The standard of television news is deteriorating much faster than that of print media.
Popularity
Electronic Media
Electronic media is gaining more popularity days. During earlier times people depended on
newspapers when there was no other source of news and information, and sometimes got to
know about facts quite late. The major limitation of print media was that, only the urban people
and those who were well educated could read newspapers. The Electronics media has replaced
print with better and fast flowing news and information. Those who cannot read can watch and
listen to the news broadcast on television and radio respectively. Also it is an advantage for
visually impaired people. Today electronic media has spread everywhere, both in urban and rural
areas. Electronics media has become so effective that we watch live telecasts. The best part of
Electronics media is that it gives life picture and the scenes of the places of incidents and that
too without much delay.

With electronic media it has become possible to see all National and International programs
straightaway and watch the movements of the crowd with some live action transmission also
becoming popular with this media. Another added advantage for electronic media is that we all
see the news and happenings in TV so many times during the day that it neutralizes the interest
to read the same news in the newspapers again the next day. There are a large number of news
channels available on television these days broadcasting different information and programs.
There are many people interested in watching the burning topics or very commonly termed as
breaking news of the day and also very much interested to hear comments of prominent people
about the current events or in case of some important event. This participation of some
prominent people in the matter concerning general people makes it more interesting and more
informative. The electronics media thus updates the knowledge of the people.
Print Media
We may say that electronic media is trying to dominate over the print media these days, but we
cannot close our eyes against print media. Print media in every form have its own importance
and prominence which cannot be replaced by anyone else. Today there is a tight competition
between the newspaper and electronic medium. Also the competition among various newspapers
is also increasing day by day which has made the print media cheaper, qualitative, informative
and fast. The print media always is accurate information in detail. The journalists and editors of
newspapers are more efficient and experienced than those of TV who just hire people based on
looks rather than their journalism skills. Experience and well qualified journalists are successful in
presenting information in an analytic manner, which helps the reader to be clear about the facts
and the subjects and also create their interest to read further. What we generally see in TV is
only the highlights and a lot glamorized version. Nevertheless, for detailed information, we go
through newspapers, which give it in a broader manner about any matter or happenings.
We cannot disagree over the fact that the utility of print media will always remain informative to
help a man to progress in his life. In all newspapers, the editorial page contains the broader
views of the prominent editors on the current and sensitive issues, which give the detail and
structural information about the matters and also the views of some prominent people over the
common issues of the community, state or country. The intellectuals generally are keen to study
such matters from the editorial section of the newspaper. Print media covers all possible major
and minor information sources and highlights even national and international events. Print media
is famous to make sectioning of topics with the aim to give specific and broader information, and
these sections may include information from the field of sports, politics or business.
Printed Media and Electronic Media in the Future
Because of innovation and changes in technology, business and society, the demand for
information via printed media and electronic media is clearly increasing world-wide. But, the ratio
between the market shares of print media and electronic media is becoming more balanced.
There is now a strong move towards electronic media, and long term predictions point to a 50:50
ratio between print media and electronic media

The main intent of any media is to pass information to pubic. Be it electronic or print media, the public
needs to be aware of the news. Most of the people in daily lives start with print media and gradually, as
the day passes by, switch to electronic media.

Print media is still strong, but on the decline, being replaced by digital or online media at a
furious pace. But will digital media really ultimately replace printed media? I intend to
show that print media is here to stay despite its current decline. I will also illustrate how
digital technology actually supports print technology with some of the latest innovations in
both industries. I wouldnt go so far to say that digital media is as impactful as
Gutenburgs printing press, but digital media plays a significant role in how the world as a
whole communicates today, thereby making an impact of its own. And its much more
than a ripple in the pond.
Gutenburg Invents the Printing Press
Gutenburg broke the barriers of illiteracy with the printed page. His invention not the
first, but certainly the most famous changed the world. For the first time, multiple copies
of a book were a reality and learning how to read became a priority for many. The change
was slow, but over the course of the subsequent decades and centuries, mass production
and distribution of books, newspapers, magazines, and other printed media helped to
educate much of the globe.
Since its initial development, the printing press has often been enhanced and modernized
through the ages. The mechanics of the printing press were, and still are, improved to
accommodate the increased demand for printed material to satisfy the masses. As
civilization expanded, people were even more eager for information about things around
it. Along with the printing industry, graphic design sat squarely in the middle of politics,
economics, religion, and education. Printing and graphic design participated in the
progression of them all. Since the 1500s, the production of books and other works has
grown at a fantastic rate. The amount of books and printed material that exist in the world
today is astronomical. To state a number of how many there are in the world would be
remissthat is nearly an impossible task.
Advances in Print Technology in the 20 Century

1956 America was in the throws of an incredulous amount of discovery in virtually all
facets of life. In an interview, James Teachey who was young college student at the time,
reflected ... in the fifties, we were impervious to anything negative; Eisenhower was
President; the highways were being built all was good and things were generally quiet.
He went on to say, ...there were new-fangled things coming out all the time. Thats when
I heard about this thing called a computer. It was a very exciting time. The fifties were
referred to as the Age of Research (Linen, 1956). As an example, TIME reported
International Business Machines Corp. (research budget: $19 million) says that every
product it sells today was developed from research. Ever heard of IBM?
As early as 1956, the speculation that computers would do many things for an individual
has come to fruition. In 1956, Time Magazine reported that, Electronic computers that
will design bridges and highways, specify the construction materials, estimate building
costs and future revenues from tolls. And so, the digital controversy began.
In his 1956 Publishers Letter, James Linen of Time Magazine, stated On a far more
modest scale, there is also research news in a field that has traditionally emphasized
craftsmanship rather than industrial technology. This is the field of printing and the socalled graphic artsan important one to us at TIMEand I would like to tell you something
of what we are doing here. A technological "renaissance" has slowly taken form in printing,
and I am proud to be able to tell you that Time Inc. has had a hand in bringing it about
(Linen, 1956). TIME, the company itself, went to great lengths to improve the printing
industry, along with graphic design, publication, and the prepress sub-industries. Linen
went on to explain that through a company that TIME set up, Printing Developments, Inc.,
was instrumental in the development of scanners, electronic computers and faster
technologies for the printing press.
From the 1960s until the late 1980s, many preparations for a print job (also known as
prepress) were produced using a typesetting machine, most notable was Compugraphics
Phototypesetting Machine, or performed by hand. This marked the beginning of the digital

age in printing and graphic design (Monotype Imaging, Timeline). To illustrate what it
took to generate a fully printed project during this time, the following were the steps that
were required.
How Computer Technology Aids in Traditional Printing
As computer technology became more prevalent in printing and graphics, the required
steps taken for preparation were starkly different than in the two previous decades.
Concurrently, there were several software companies battling each other to be the favorite
in the printing industry. By the mid-1990s, prepress operations and graphic design were
becoming computerized as well as typesetting that was now called desktop publishing. In
1993, George Platt wrote, For graphic arts professionals in the CMYK-based fields of
prepress and printing, the opportunities are great, yet so are the risks and threats. Platt
was not the only one that had this opinion at the time. There were many who thought by
the year 2000, printing would be a thing of the past.
In the early 1990s, Steps 1-4 from the 60s-80s were replaced by the desktop computer,
where a graphic designer would design a project digitally, and send the files by way of CD,
zip drive or even a floppy disk to the printing company. The prepress operator would
review the project, make necessary adjustments, and then send to a machine that produces
film much like the film from a camera, called an imagesetter, reduced the use of the
Camera Room. Since much of the in-positioning was now done digitally, the time spent in
the Stripping Departments was also reduced. Negatives were still sent to the Stripping
Department where they were put into position on plate templates and made final
adjustments for the final layout. The following steps only slightly evolved in the 1990s:
1.

The negatives were sent back to the Camera Room where Blue Lines were
made for client review. If the client had changes, the marked up Blue Line proof
would be sent back to the prepress department.

2.

Upon client approval, the final negatives were sent back to the Camera
Room to burn plates.

3.

Plates were sent to the Press Room for printing. At this stage, a client can
choose to do a press check.
The steps necessary to achieve a printed project had been cut in half and the responsibility
of each stage was still clearly defined. That does not mean, however, that the reduction in
steps in the late 20th century would remain quite as clear. With digital technology
development paced at an alarming rate, the challenge now was to keep up. I base this
information on my hands on experience as a prepress operator. Having previously been a
traditional typesetter, this was a natural progressive in my particular part of the printing
industry. For others, it was the beginning of the end.
By 1994, the digital age was becoming more widely accepted. Digital prepress was in its
infancy, but computers now had the ability to provide shortcuts for a few steps to help out
the stripping department. Then, the technology shot forward even more. The ability to
arrange pages of a publication in the order necessary for press and output negatives inposition and ready for Blue Line production in the Camera Room, cut down the time, and
manpower, needed for traditional stripping departments. One by one, traditional stripping
craftsmen were let go and prepress departments grew. All too frequently, older strippers
who were not interested in learning the computer retired or found other work. Others dove
into it with great enthusiasm and are doing well to this day.
Discussions that the need for printing was going to fade away due to the influx of
computer technology was commonplace among press operators, stripping craftsmen and
business owners alike. At times, this writer witnessed near hysteria and panic as to what
one would do when, not if, printing died. It was an exhilarating, but sad time. A serious
death threat was hovering over the printing industry on one hand, but on the other
another renaissance for the printing industry was underway through further digital
technological advances.

As quickly as the scare that printing would disappear arose, it was suppressed. Instead of
digital technology replacing printing media, it enhanced it. Printing was still viable
because of the rapid technological changes in graphic design, publication layout, and
prepress technician computer software and hardware. Step by step, digital was making
things more accurate and faster through available output options such as direct to plate or
direct to press. That meant the entire stripping department could be eliminated, and
where I was working in 1999, it was. Shortly thereafter, the entire business closed.