Screen Americas (Elk Grove Village, Illinois) recently sponsored research by the Book Manufacturers’ Institute (BMI), a U.S.-based non-profit trade association for the book manufacturing industry. The purpose of the research, conducted by Dr. Frank Kutz last March, was to determine whether or not parents preferred print or electronic educational materials for their children. The results were unequivocally in favour of printed materials. The Book Manufacturers’ Institute targeted 1,000 parents with children attending school at either the primary or secondary level, or both. Recipients were asked questions that focused mostly on their child’s or children’s educational experiences while attending school remotely during the past year – and more specifically, whether or not electronic materials had a more positive impact on an individual’s learning experience than printed materials. The results were overwhelmingly supportive of the print product with 76% of parents finding printed books extremely helpful, and 69% preferring print to digital if given the choice.
Parents’ frustrations with online learning have been amplified during the pandemic lockdown. There’s a greater temptation for children to wander away from their studies and onto more amusing platforms when learning on a digital device, the study found. More than 80% of those surveyed indicated that print materials would definitely improve home instruction. Screen sponsored the entire survey, pointing out that it’s well prepared to meet the latest demands of book printers with its high-speed inkjet portfolio – particularly the OEM’s Truepress Jet520HD Series that allows book printers to run a fixed number of copies and avoid printing excess inventory that typically occurs with an offset press.
“Having the ability to produce the exact number of copies needed on demand as well as additional copies at a later date is a huge advantage for those in publishing and education,” said Mark Schlimme, Vice President of Marketing for Screen Americas. As a BMI member Screen Americas contributes to the interdependent needs of those in book publishing and printing, joining its fellow member companies in producing more than 85% of the books published in the United States!