Paper-based media

Paper-based media are the printed group of physical media; the other two groups are removable flash memory and discs. Paper carries images, illustrations, photos and text, so it suits a product the audience reads, keeps or displays rather than plays.

What counts as paper-based media

The media are the items themselves: printed publications such as magazines, newspapers and books, plus flyers, maps and posters, including billboard posters. Name the item — a leaflet, a trail map, a poster — because the medium is the physical thing that carries the product, not the event it advertises.

For example, a city farm prints a folded trail map for visitors and a printed activity booklet for school groups. Both are paper-based media; neither needs a screen.

Why print costs what it does

Full-colour printing costs more than mono printing, which uses a single ink, because full colour lays down four inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and key (black). Each ink means more plates, more passes through the press and more setting up, so a full-colour poster costs more per copy than a black-only price list.

Distribution adds a second cost. Printed items are run off, packed, then moved physically through the supply chain. For example, a print shop runs off 500 programmes for a school show; some are boxed and couriered to the school office, and the rest are posted to relatives who live too far away to come. Delivering the same item online avoids that journey, which is why paper is much more expensive to distribute.

What paper does better

• It can reach every household by post or a door drop, with nothing to sign up for.
• It needs no account, device, electricity or batteries, so a reader can use it anywhere.
• It shows up well in bright sunlight, unlike a phone screen.
• It cannot be corrupted or fail like a device, though it can of course be torn or soaked.