In the good old days not that long ago, people in charge of buying print for their organizations pretty much did print-related duties 100% of the time. That’s what I did, both at the Office of Publications Production for Boston University and for MFS Investment Management.

Not any more. In fact, we found out in a study we did this summer that almost all print buyers do something other than buy print. More than one fourth of buyers polled work in a purchasing or procurement department, so it’s no surprise that over half of them buy things other than print.

Print buyers are also heavily involved in marketing, advertising and marketing communications. Some handle product and brand management. Almost a fifth do some graphic design.

Perhaps the most interesting stat of all is this: less than 3% of print buyers polled report that they do “nothing else,” only buy print.

The implication for print buyers is how much their roles have changed and will continue to change. And printers need to keep this in mind when developing new business.

© 2013 Margie Dana. All rights reserved.