Who Is Teaching the Next Generation to Love Print?

By Debbie Nicholson

For years, I’ve heard the same concern throughout the printing industry:  “We can't find good people.”

We need press operators. Prepress operators. Finishers. Installers. Estimators. Customer service representatives. Salespeople. Production managers.

And yes, finding qualified people is difficult. But I have another question. Who is teaching the next generation to love print?

Because I'm not sure we have a recruiting problem as much as we have an exposure problem.

Ask a young person what they think a printing company does. I would bet many still picture business cards, brochures, flyers, and maybe a big printing press running sheets of paper.

They don't see what many of us see every day. They don't see massive wall graphics transforming an empty space.

They don't see vehicle wraps, dimensional signage, ADA and Braille signage, window graphics, labels, packaging, floor graphics, fabric displays, SEG, architectural graphics, décor, custom fabrication, or a CNC router cutting something they didn't even know a printing company could produce.

They don't see automation, software, robotics, workflow technology, color management, digital cutting, artificial intelligence, and sophisticated printing equipment.

And whose fault is that? (Yep, ours)!

We spend plenty of time telling each other how exciting this industry is. Maybe we need to start telling the people who aren't already in it.

Stop Looking Only for People With Printing Experience

Here’s one that may get me in trouble. Every printing company wants to hire someone with printing experience. Of course we do—it’s easier. We want someone who already knows the industry, understands the terminology, and can hit the ground running.

At some point, somebody has to open the door. We should be looking for mechanical aptitude, curiosity, creativity, computer skills, problem-solving ability, craftsmanship, and people who enjoy figuring out how things work.

We can teach someone what PVC is and why we use it. We can teach them about bleed, resolution, RIP software, substrates, finishing, and color.

It's much harder to teach someone to care. (I always say, you can’t buy that)

Find the people who care—and then teach them print.  Yes, just like someone taught you!

Let Them See More Than Their Workstation

We also have to stop bringing young employees into our companies, placing them at one machine and expecting them to stay excited doing the same thing every day for the next ten years.

• Show them the entire business.
• Let the person in finishing spend time in prepress.
• Let the new production employee sit in on a customer project meeting.
• Teach them why one substrate works, and another doesn't.
• Let them attend equipment demonstrations.
• Take them to industry trade shows.
• Let them participate when you're testing a new application.

Then, ask them what they think.

Oh, and here's a crazy idea:  Listen to their answer. 

Remember, shallow thinking has helped get us where we are today!

The Future of Print Needs an Invitation

We have an amazing industry. We take an idea that exists on a computer screen and turn it into something you can hold, install, display, wrap around a building, put on a vehicle, walk across, or experience in an environment. That's still pretty darn cool, if you ask me.

But the next generation won't magically discover that. We have to show them by inviting students into our facilities. Build relationships with high schools, technical programs, and colleges. Offer internships and apprenticeships that involve actual learning - not just sweeping floors and stacking boxes. (Boring!!)

Bring younger employees to industry events. Put them in front of new technology. Give them mentors. Give them responsibility.

And most importantly, give them a reason to believe this isn't simply a job. It can be a career.

Stop asking, “Where are we going to find the next generation of print professionals!

Why don’t you do something - like creating them?

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