The post-print publishing lament is a familiar refrain in industry conversations, and for good reason. Despite the ubiquity of digital platforms, the publishing sector remains stubbornly tethered to workflows designed for an era dominated by ink and paper. This inertia isn’t just an operational quirk—it’s a systemic failure that exposes deeper issues in how the industry approaches innovation, efficiency, and adaptability.
The LinkedIn commentary you referenced, while succinct, scratches the surface of a much larger issue: publishing’s entrenched print-first mindset. But framing this as merely a workflow problem misses the broader implications. This isn’t just about speeding up approvals or making content easier to reuse; it’s about fundamentally rethinking the publishing industry’s relationship with technology, data, and the shifting demands of modern audiences. And the consequences of failing to do so are far-reaching.
The Legacy of Print: An Invisible Anchor
The most insidious aspect of print-first workflows is their invisibility. For many publishers, the inefficiencies baked into these systems feel like the natural order of things. Files are passed around like relics of an analogue past. Approvals creak through linear chains that mimic physical proofing processes. Even when digital formats are eventually addressed, they’re often treated as an afterthought—a secondary conversion rather than a core focus.
This isn’t just a matter of nostalgia. Print-first workflows persist because they are familiar, and familiarity breeds complacency. The transition to digital-first publishing requires more than new tools; it demands a cultural and structural shift that challenges the very foundations of how publishers operate. That’s a tall order for an industry already grappling with shrinking margins, increasing competition, and the existential threat posed by free content platforms.
The Cost of Clinging to the Past
The economic implications of print-first workflows are staggering. Slower production processes inflate costs—not just in terms of labour but also in missed opportunities. Content that’s locked into print-based formats is harder to adapt, harder to monetise, and harder to scale. This inefficiency is particularly glaring when you consider the demands of global audiences who consume content across multiple platforms, often simultaneously.
But it’s not just about money; it’s about relevance. Publishers who fail to optimise for digital risk alienating entire demographics, particularly younger audiences who have never known a world where print was dominant. A teenager scrolling through TikTok or Instagram isn’t waiting for your print-approved content to be painstakingly reformatted for online consumption. They’ve already moved on.
Metadata: A Missed Opportunity
One of the most under-discussed casualties of print-first thinking is metadata. Structured metadata—the backbone of digital-first workflows—has the potential to transform how publishers manage, discover, and monetise their content. Yet it remains an afterthought for many, relegated to the tail end of the publishing process. This is a critical misstep.
Metadata isn’t just a technical detail; it’s a strategic asset. When implemented correctly, it enables publishers to create content that’s not only easier to find but also easier to adapt for new platforms and formats. It’s what allows a single piece of content to be repurposed as a blog post, a podcast episode, a tweet, and a TikTok video—all without reinventing the wheel. In an era where attention is the most valuable commodity, metadata is what keeps publishers in the game.
Digital-First Doesn’t Mean Print-Never
It’s tempting to frame this discussion as a zero-sum game: print versus digital, old versus new. But that’s a false dichotomy. Print isn’t the enemy here; it’s the mindset that places print at the centre of everything. Digital-first workflows don’t mean abandoning print; they mean creating systems that serve both formats equally, without prioritising one at the expense of the other.
The publishers making the most progress in this area aren’t just swapping out tools—they’re rethinking their entire approach. They’re investing in structured content creation, metadata standards, and workflows that are platform-agnostic. They understand that the future of publishing isn’t about choosing between print and digital; it’s about building infrastructures that adapt to whatever comes next.
What Comes Next?
If the industry continues to cling to print-first workflows, the consequences will be predictable: slower production times, higher costs, and a growing disconnect from the audiences publishers claim to serve. But if publishers can break free from this mindset, the opportunities are immense. Imagine a world where content is created once, tagged with robust metadata, and seamlessly distributed across every platform, from print to social media to emerging channels like VR and AR. That’s not just a theoretical ideal—it’s a necessity for survival.
The real question isn’t whether publishers will make this shift; it’s whether they’ll do so in time. As industries from education to entertainment accelerate their digital transformations, publishing risks being left behind, trapped in workflows that feel increasingly archaic. The challenge isn’t just to adopt new tools; it’s to rethink what publishing can and should be in a digital-first world.
For decision-makers in publishing, the question should no longer be “What can we digitise?” but rather “What’s stopping us from digitising everything?” Until that question is answered, the industry will remain stuck in print mode, watching as faster, more agile competitors sprint ahead.
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