Under the theme of ‘Read Your Way’, World Book Day 6th March 2025 encourages the publishing industry to help people rediscover reading on their own terms.
This powerful theme speaks to a recent resurgence of readers finding a deeper, more sensory connection in physical books over digital copies, and underscores the importance of making this experience accessible to everyone.
By investing in meaningful partnerships and driving the acceleration of new technology, book printers have a unique opportunity to unlock more inclusive and powerful reading experiences. So how can industry leaders like Canon tap into the power of the printed page to inspire readers and shape communities?
One area where printed books can have a significant and memorable impact is in children's publishing. In an overly saturated and digital world, a new generation of readers are turning to printed books in order to learn new things, understand the views of others and feel connected to the world around them, research from Literary Trust reveals. But it is important to consider how the advent of new technology has changed how consumers read and discover books. To respond to new digital reading habits, the publishing industry has had to navigate the wider transition to short run book production.
The time-honoured business model of bulk and centralised printing, stockholding and inventory is becoming more or less obsolete as unpredictable demand, driven by digital trends such as BookTok, means that publishers are focused on responding to consumer trends in real time. As book titles go from first draft to viral sensation in a matter of weeks, agility is the key to achieving sustainable growth. By providing publishers with more efficient machines, capable of streamlining short-run production, book printers can help publishers remove the inventory step of the book supply chain.
The capabilities of printing on-demand have opened entirely new opportunities to engage young people in the publishing world, and nurture the next generation of avid readers, authors and publishers. For example, the UK literacy charity, Topic Heroes relies on short-run print production to power their online book service. Topic Heroes invites children to write their own stories and then have the manuscript printed to share with peers and their school community. Providing this service free-of-charge to schools in low-income areas, Topic Heroes is using the power of the printed book to inspire young readers to share their own stories - in their own words - printed by cutting edge Canon technology.
Breakthroughs in elevated print and braille is another area that is defining the future of book printing. Wider awareness around the use of braille in publishing is pivotal to improving the opportunities available to blind and partially sighted individuals. Recent research from The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) revealsthat almost nine in 10 braille users agreed that braille increased their sense of independence and opened up opportunities around education, employment and social relationships. A new era in printing technology, led by products such as Canon’s Arizona 1300 Series and PRISMAelevate XL software has enabled those who are blind or partially sighted to discover reading on their own terms.
By producing truly tactile products through detailed and accurate braille, advanced technology now allows individuals to read by touch and gives a whole new meaning to the Power of Print. Tactile print was used in Canon’s World Unseen campaign, supported by our collaboration with RNIB. Demonstrating Canon’s commitment to advancing this technology, we are focused on empowering more book printers and publishers with devices engineered for social change.
These examples demonstrate how collaborations between publishers and print manufacturers can be a catalyst for positive change and shines a light on the crucial role that technology plays in empowering the wider publishing ecosystem. Over the last decade, industry events such as the Future Book Forum have helped to bring together readers, authors, publishers and book printers from different backgrounds in order to blend print and digital worlds together.
Moving towards a more sustainable business model, publishers are increasingly looking for book printers that align with social value commitments and the preferences of readers further down the line. Putting this belief into practice, Canon is a proud signatory of the Publishing 2030 Accelerator, helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the book production industry and championing small publishers as part of a distributed book printing network.
As publishers discover new ways to print books, it is crucial that printers support this change with efficient, flexible and capable equipment. Helping to bridge the gap between physical connection and digital innovation, print technology plays a critical role in shaping a more inclusive and sustainable publishing industry; empowering readers to discover the joy of reading on their own terms.
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