Germany-HQ’d IFRA, a worldwide research and service organization for the news publishing industry, has determined that the newspaper of the future will more closely resemble a news magazine.
The conclusion is the result of a report entitled ‘The Future of Newspaper Printing Technology,’ which is the seventh to be released as part of the organization’s three-year research project investigating media usage, Where News? It examines the state of newspaper printing technology in five, 10 and 15 years’ time.
The report asserts that advancements in production technology, as well as business models, will enable printers to produce high-quality products while consuming less energy than their contemporary counterparts.
‘The report shows that developments are already underway to allow printed newspapers to continue from a competitive part of the media mix,’ says IFRA research director Manfred Werfel. ‘The combination of high-quality print, shorter print runs with targeted content and business models more suited to the need for production flexibility will evolve to make the news magazine of tomorrow a desired product among media consumers.’
The report also predicts that in 15 years, the advent of automated systems will make unmanned production possible, allowing for short print runs targeted to particular groups.
