The European Printing Industry and its members are committed to sustainability and have been working hard towards greener practices and carbon footprint reduction across the entire sector for many years. The European printing industry has a long tradition of using recycled and renewable materials and supporting recycling strategies as an important part of the sector’s activities.

• Reading on screens encourages more superficial reading behaviours, such as skimming and scanning, which reduces deep comprehension (The “Shallowing Hypothesis”). Research shows that printed materials offer a clear advantage for reading comprehension, especially when tasks demand greater mental effort. The benefits are strongest during time-constrained reading and for informational texts rather than narrative ones (Delgado et al. 2018)
• Neuroscientific evidence: how print engages the brain. Zivan et al. (2023) studied children aged 6–8. Reading on printed paper triggered higher beta and gamma activity in the brain, which is associated with concentration and deep processing. Screen reading, by contrast, showed higher alpha and theta activity, which reflects daydreaming and reduced focus. The conclusion: print supports higher-order comprehension, faster processing, and lower fatigue. Froud et al. (2023) found significant differences in the brain’s semantic processing (N400 signals). Digital formats resulted in shallower engagement, particularly with expository texts.
• Student preferences worldwide: ARFIS study (n=21,265 students in 33 countries). The world’s largest study of student reading preferences reveals that 78% prefer print for academic reading, 82% say they focus best with print, and 72% say they remember better with print. Only Germany and the US show a more balanced pattern, suggesting that students adapt formats to context (Mizrachi et al., 2021).
• Students often overestimate their understanding of informational texts when reading digitally (E-READ, 2019). Several countries are reassessing digital-first approaches, with Sweden, for example, shifting back towards print in schools. Print materials are durable, reusable, and support offline time, which helps students disconnect and maintain focus.
• The Digital Overload Problem. Students in Denmark and Sweden spend over 45 hours per week online (OECD, 2021). In Denmark, 32% of students report experiencing digital distraction during learning.