While walking through the amazing Museum of Printing in North Andover last week, I spied the following text on a small poster on a wall. The title stopped me in my tracks. I read it and was very moved.

Frank Romano is the author. He gave me permission to reprint it. It is truly food for thought. Please share it.

Isn’t it fitting as the year 2010 comes to an end?

I Am a Printer

I have been around for 560 years

I invented the Renaissance and caused the Reformation

I have recorded war and peace

My pamphlets and documents created America

I take ideas and information and make them tangible

I print lofty Bibles and lowly forms

I am a printer

I help you promote and inform and entertain

My catalogs and direct mail are a spur to action

Like calling, clicking, or visiting

I communicate your brand and facilitate your marketing

I am a printer

I preserve and protect your most precious memories

My greeting cards say what you feel

My photo books are your families’ legacies

Freedom of the press began with me

I am still the reasoned and reliable history of our times

I am a printer

I put ink on paper and plastic and other materials

I produce packages and publications and products

My business is an extension of your business

Print and paper will transcend the digital age

Because print gets attention

Print is not a momentary image on a screen

You feel print in your hand even fleetingly

And that is its power: it moves you without moving

I am a printer

My industry and I care about the environment

I deal with responsible paper and ink suppliers

I recycle and conserve and reduce waste

I am your partner in progress

I am your printer

—Frank Romano

© 2010 Frank Romano. All rights reserved. Your comments are encouraged. You’re free to forward this email to friends and colleagues. However, no part of this column may be reprinted without permission from the author.