Interactive Print at PRINT 17

The term “interactive print” is a fairly new one. It can take a number of forms. It can be a static print piece that can be scanned with a phone using a barcode or an app like Blippar or Augmented to provide some kind of additional experience, such as playing a song from an album or even shop the products in a showcase. It can be a print piece with technology embedded in it, so users can touch and interact with it without needing to use their phones. It can be a print piece with some kind of action embedded in it other than a screen. It can even be some of the more “old school” additions like scratch and sniff areas.

Interactive print is really only limited by the imagination of the printer and the brand.

For the PRINT 17 attendee, this is actually an exciting time to be looking at ways to make print more interactive. There are a number of seminars and panels that will touch on the subject, and many vendors will have products, services, and demonstrations on the show floor to help spark ideas of how far print can go.

One company that will have interactive print on display is Ricoh USA (Booth 2022). “We are demonstrating Clickable Paper, which connects printed materials to online resources using image recognition software,” says Kurt Konow, Creative Director of Marketing Communications, Commercial & Industrial Printing Business Group, Ricoh USA, Inc. “For printers seeking a low-risk growth strategy that builds on their core business of print, Clickable Paper offers a simple way to deliver electronic marketing materials that extend a printed campaign strategy. When developing campaigns that target Generation Z, adding an interactive component will become expected. Clickable Paper enables businesses to increase ad revenue and improve click through rates.”

For Direct Mail 2.0 (Booth 3745), interactive print is all about seamless integration between components. “Direct Mail 2.0’s goal is to help attendees integrate with today’s market demands of digital integration with little to no effort done from the print shop. Direct Mail 2.0 takes care of the integration and delivery process. Interactive print is vital, as it’s the only resource that can be used to help the print shop stay relevant in a digitally dominated world,” says Iris Shalev, Marketing Coordinator, Direct Mail 2.0.

Be on the lookout as you walk the show floor, and don’t be afraid to try new ideas—no matter how “out there” they might seem. You never know what will be the next viral campaign that will get everyone talking.