London has a long standing tradition with printing that dates back over 500 years, when William Caxton first set up shop in that great capital. Since then London printers have see many changes to their industry, but none more exciting than over the last twenty years or so with all the new developments in technology that have taken place.

How ironic that the technology everyone was saying would be the death of printing has become largely responsible for breathing new life into it in so many ways. So many print companies did succumb but the future gets brighter for those who held on and did what they had to do to overcome the many obstacles.

To survive the changes they had to start to think differently and try to look at the new technology as a friend, not a foe. Shop-fronted print houses started to materialize in prime positions around London offering instant printing and photocopying services to local companies. These print shops brought printing which was traditionally hidden away from sight to everyone's front door. The ones that are still operating now are open for business because they've taken advantage of the opportunities that were available and have much in the way of experience and value to offer.

At first it seemed that new technology was viewed as just something that, at best, would speed up the print process and may even improve the quality of the process in some instances. The array of new services and products that have come about were not even thought about back then. Things moved so fast it was difficult to adapt for many but those that held on during the initial transitions will likely be around to the end.

Perhaps surprisingly, the same technology that seemed to be distancing itself from human contact by being largely automated is the same that has opened up a whole new world of personalization that has never been seen before. Variable data and personalized direct mail is one of the most popular developments in the marketing world right now.

One outcome of print merging with technology is something called a QR, or quick response code. A small box that can be printed onto all sorts of things including news ads, publications and CD inserts and works a bit like a bar code. Scan it with a smartphone and it will place a web link, picture or even an audio or video clip, perhaps just some text. This opens up a whole range of possibilities for getting customers responding immediately to offers and messages.

It would be remiss if printers had all these tools and knowledge at their fingertips and didn't use them for themselves. Most printers have websites where customers place orders but there's so much more available. Personalizing marketing messages are as big with printing companies as it is with the customers themselves. Taking it a step further, social media networking is hugely successful for many.

The effect all this is having on London print companies is great for them and their customers alike. As they integrate and learn how to use a variety of marketing tools for their customers they too are learning what will work to get their own message into the market place. Not only does this pool of knowledge and experience allow them to grow but it means they can offer it all to new customers at great prices too.