The business of buying commercial printing for one’s company is going to change forever. Two factors are driving this change: Baby Boomers on the verge of retirement, and explosive growth of newer media.

When Baby Boomers retire, they take with them decades of print production knowledge and experience. Businesspeople entering the workforce will have significantly less print knowledge and a smaller pool of savvy peers and managers from whom to acquire it. With fewer on-the-job mentors, where and how will businesspeople develop their print sourcing skills? I have my own hunches, which I’ll save for another post.

And marketing campaigns, as well as customer communications efforts, are a mix of media: targeted email, instant messaging, social posts, blogs, webcasts and podcasts, Internet ads, digital signage, web sites, and strategic use of print materials – direct mail, newsletters, dimensional mail, signage, and more.

Tomorrow’s print customers will need to be skilled in more than just print manufacturing. They’ll need an appreciation of multiple channels and a solid understanding of how these channels are best integrated for effective campaigns.

These changes are well under way. They’re altering the career paths of businesspeople who have a passion and a talent for print production, and they’re affecting how print companies develop new business.

Boomers will be exiting the workforce sometime within the next 10 years or so, and digital marketing channels are here to stay.

Are you seeing these changes in your marketplace? If so, how are you dealing with them?