Mark your calendars printers and paper lovers because National Print Day is on its way. The 4th Tuesday in October is officially reserved for inkheads; this year the event falls on Tuesday, October 22nd, 2013. I’m not sure what’s going on with the NPD website (there’s not a lot of activity since last year), but I plan to promote the cause with our without organized support.
The History of National Print Day
The whole celebration began with an unprovoked attack known as National No-Print Day in 2012. Toshiba (a leading manufacturer of paper based office supplies) decided to launch an anti-paper campaign and pitch it on an unsuspecting public. They made a website, and dropped an email blast asking subscribers to take a pledge to abstain from printing for a day. Naturally, my fellow printers were up in arms over this insult to our primarily green industry. A grassroots initiative lead by Two Sides US and the famed PrintMediaCentr took to social media and set the record straight with a counter holiday, National Print Day. Toshiba backed down, but the CMYK spirit lives on because we’re always faced with ignorance on environmental subjects.
Toshiba claimed their campaign was not targeted at commercial printing or paper production, yet the language they used did not convey this message. Of course we’re all concerned about the planet, and do our part to encourage consumers to waste less of any natural resource. Let Toshiba’s debacle serve as an example for corporations who decide to get involved in politically charged issues. Do your research first, and be careful because you might attract the wrong kind of attention.
How to Celebrate Print in 2013
Please join us in raising awareness about print, paper, and the environment. There’s still plenty of time to properly prepare before the 22nd . You can start by downloading the NPD poster in size 11″ x 17″ or 22″ x 28″. I went with the smaller one because it matches my Girls Who Print poster. You can create your own artwork with the NPD logo in it, too. Here are other ways you can help spread the word and make this year’s National Print Day a success!
- Write a blog post- The internet thrives on fresh content, so if every print shop in the country writes just 1 blog or article, imagine how many people we’ll be able to reach. When you see anything related to National Print Day online, share it with your networks.
- Get Social with Other Printers – Speaking of networks, I’ve written before on the lack of engagement between printing industry professionals. Now’s the perfect time to jump in on the digital conversation; this is a cause we can all get behind, so let’s rally the troops! Maybe you want to reach out , but you’re not sure where to start. We highly recommend the weekly #printchat session on Twitter hosted by PMC, the associated LinkedIn group Print Production Professionals, and JamiePrints, a fun Facebook community page managed by the awesome Jamie McLennan of The Seibel Group.
- Use the Right Hashtag- You probably add hashtags to your tweets, Google Plus posts, Instagram images, and more. But hashtags are more effective when users are on the same page. The official NPD hashtag is #NationalPrintDay. I want my timeline flooded with this phrase on the 22nd.
- Educate Your Friends and Followers- It seems every time I post on social media advocating paper, someone chimes in with a negative comment. Naturally, not a single one of the nay-sayers actually bothered to read the accompanying article (ahem). Still, I welcome these exchanges because they give me an opportunity to respond with…facts. Just remember to keep your cool and stay polite. Let them voice their opinion, and always be respectful in your replies.
- Promote the Two Sides Ecographic- Two Sides sponsored an infographic design contest over the summer, and the winning artwork totally rocks. You can print the graphic out or use it on your blog. Feel free to share it with your social communities, but please note that you might have trouble getting this large image to display correctly on Facebook and Pinterest.