Watch Running a Print Business in a Paperless World Online

So because the way we make money today is physical-producing and we’re a printer, we're using paper and ink, so how are we thinking about sustainability and environmental. One of the interesting things, let me start on the business side then I'll go to the environmental side, is going back 20 years ago, people were talking about two phenomenons. One was the paperless society. And if you look at HP's earnings, they sell more ink than they ever have. And by the way, I do think it's a vast conspiracy. How many people have ever printed in an Internet, gone to a page on the Internet, and hit 'print' and you get that second page that only has the header and there's nothing on it? Okay. I think that's a vast conspiracy by the print industry to sell more ink and paper, so I would start there because that's about a 40% reduction. But the paperless society has never really come about. Fact, with the access to information and the reduction in cost of personal printing, home printers, people are printing more and more. And so I think there's this notion of, you know, printing is just happening more. I was sitting with a 27-year-old portfolio manager at one of the largest mutual funds and he says, "You have the stupidest business model I've ever seen. I don't print. I take picture on my cellphone and then, you know, I look at it and I delete it. So you're going to be out of business in two years." I said, "Well, this is going to be a short meeting, isn't it?" And I said, "Hey, here's something I know. First of all, my guess is you're in your mid-20s." He said, "Yeah, I'm 27." I said, "I know you're going to get older. And if you'll lucky, you'll date. You'll get engaged. You'll have a wedding. You'll have children. You'll move out of your apartment, buy a home. You and your wife will want to decorate your home and what are you going to want to decorate with? Your memories. You're not going to want anymore put up that picture of the rock band or that supermodel. ...