The End Of The Print?

With the reset credit-crunched economy, will we see a step-change decline in the use of the print as viable photo medium? 

Maybe the only time we’ll print is when we want to sell the image as an object of fine art.

Two years ago, I had 3 printers and spent many unhappy hours trying to get my expensive Epson and Kodak photo printers to reproduce what I saw on the screen. Calibration had nothing to do with it. Whatever I did, I couldn’t get it exactly right. I liked what I saw but there was a gap between the image on the monitor and what I had in my hands.

Then I got rid of my printers and I switched to a great D&P house (KeynshamPhoto) who produce amazing consistent results at prices lower than I ever could with my own kit.

Not one of my clients in 2008 asked for prints - all said “images on a CD please”.

I enter a lot of competitions, not in the hope of winning (but that would be nice) but because I enjoy it. But the number of competitions requiring print entries is dwindling to almost zero. Most want jpgs.

My portfolio? Well for the best part that’s on the web at photoportunity.com

Perhaps the last bastion of prints will be the enthusiast club competitions?

But even then, most clubs run a Digital Projected Image competition alongside it.

If I do the math: print and mount at a cost of say £3-5 ($5-8) per image or put all the images on a CD-R at 30p (50c).  

Is this the way the wind is blowing? Your views?