As digital printing takes off there is a question of whether or not it will contribute to the death of regular printing. There are some advantages, granted, but it is unlikely that print will stop existing any time soon. However, this does not mean that they cannot exist in the same continuum, especially given the advantages that they can offer can then overlap rather than contrast. It may be worth looking at what traditional and digital printing have to offer before looking at the supposed death of print.
Digital offers a number of advantages for those interested in printing. The major advantage is the production cost they cost the same to produce, yet the digital version costs nothing to print. Once the booklet has been produced it can be distributed for free, with no more than e-mail link. Also, the booklet can use color without worry no printing means not having to pay for the difference in colored inks. There is also that links can be embedded into the material, allowing a reader to merely click on the presented link rather having to copy it and paste, or even write it down for later use. These make for some rather formidable bonuses.
However, it does have some disadvantages. The most obvious is that it requires some sort of power source without the power source the booklet is totally unreadable. An internet source is also advisable, if not mandatory for some functions a booklet with links in it cannot take advantage of those links. There is also the issue of format some formats simply do not work as well digitally as they do in print, such as the standard trifold. There is also the aesthetic issue a digital book simply does not have the thickness and feel of a printed book. It is also harder to share a digital book thanks to digital rights management software as part of the distribution model for booklet publishing is to get it in as many hands as possible it may be an issue.
Of course, print has its disadvantages as well. The most obvious is that printed materials take up space booklet publishing means boxes and boxes of printed materials that take up a lot of space. There is also the issue, as noted, that color printing is more expensive than black and white printing. There is also potentially the cost of printing to worry about, although there are ways, such as print-on-demand services, to eliminate that cost for the most part. In short, printing costs and storage issues become major issues.
However, it s possible to combine the two for more effective booklet publishing. The publisher can make a digital version available with all of the bells and whistles. Then he can make a published version available for those that prefer that version, as well as for distribution this can be distributed in person for a more personal touch. It is doubtful that digital publishing will ever completely supersede traditional publishing, and in fact they give booklet publishing some nice options when considered together.