Nonprint vs. Print — What's the Difference?
By Fiza Rafique & Urooj Arif — Updated on May 6, 2024
Nonprint media encompasses digital and electronic formats like videos and audio, focusing on accessibility and immediacy, whereas print media includes traditional paper-based formats like books and newspapers, emphasizing tangibility and permanence.
Difference Between Nonprint and Print
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Nonprint media is characterized by its use of electronic or digital platforms, such as the internet, e-books, and streaming services, which allow for instant access and interaction. Whereas, print media relies on physical formats like newspapers, magazines, and books, which can be held, collected, and displayed.
Nonprint media often provides multimedia content including video, audio, and interactive features, enhancing user engagement through diverse sensory inputs. On the other hand, print media primarily engages through text and static images, appealing to readers who prefer a tactile and visually focused experience.
The production of nonprint media can be more cost-effective and environmentally friendly as it eliminates the need for paper and physical distribution. Print media, however, incurs costs for materials and logistics, contributing to a larger environmental footprint.
Nonprint media is easily updateable, allowing for real-time corrections and updates. Print media, once published, cannot be altered, making accuracy at the time of printing crucial.
Accessibility is a key advantage of nonprint media, as it can reach a global audience almost instantaneously and often includes features for the disabled, such as text-to-speech. Print media, while accessible in a different sense, requires physical distribution and is limited by geographical and physical constraints.
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Comparison Chart
Format
Digital and electronic
Paper-based
Sensory Engagement
Audio, video, interactive elements
Text and static images
Update Capability
Easily updated or corrected
Fixed once printed
Distribution Method
Internet, electronic delivery
Physical distribution
Environmental Impact
Lower (no paper, reduced logistics)
Higher (paper use, logistics)
Compare with Definitions
Nonprint
Media that utilizes digital or electronic means for distribution and consumption.
E-books and online articles are popular forms of nonprint media.
Distributed through physical means, which can limit its reach.
Geographic distribution limits can affect the availability of certain print media publications.
Nonprint
Can be interactive, often including features like clickable links or multimedia.
Educational software often comes in nonprint media formats to facilitate interactive learning.
Media consisting of physical printed materials such as books, newspapers, and magazines.
Libraries are filled with collections of print media.
Nonprint
Accessible through computers, mobile phones, and other digital devices.
Most people now read breaking news through nonprint media outlets.
Often collected or displayed as part of personal or public collections.
Many people collect vintage magazines, a type of print media.
Nonprint
Involves the transmission of information in formats other than printed material.
Podcasts and streaming videos are increasingly dominant forms of nonprint media.
Relies on traditional printing techniques for production.
The daily newspaper is a key example of print media.
Nonprint
Frequently updated or revised in real-time.
Online newspapers update their stories throughout the day via their nonprint platforms.
Once printed, the content remains unchangeable.
Once a mistake is printed in a newspaper, it cannot be corrected in that edition.
Nonprint
Being or pertaining to a source not found in print; not in print.
Produce (books, newspapers, etc.), especially in large quantities, by a mechanical process involving the transfer of text or designs to paper
A thousand copies of the book were printed
Write (text) clearly without joining the letters together
Print your name and address on the back of the cheque
Mark (a surface, typically a fabric or garment) with a coloured design or pattern
A delicate fabric printed with roses
The text appearing in a book, newspaper, or other printed publication, especially with reference to its size, form, or style
Bold print
She forced herself to concentrate on the tiny print
An indentation or mark made on a surface or soft substance
There were paw prints everywhere
A picture or design printed from a block or plate or copied from a painting by photography
The walls were hung with sporting prints
A piece of fabric or clothing with a coloured pattern or design printed on it
Light summer prints
A floral print dress
A mark or impression made in or on a surface by pressure
The print of footsteps in the sand.
A fingerprint.
A device or implement, such as a stamp, die, or seal, used to press markings onto or into a surface
Fancy letters made by hand-carved prints.
Something formed or marked by such a device.
Text, lettering, or other marks produced in ink from type as by a printing press or from digital fonts by an electronic printer
Needed glasses to read the print.
Printed state or form
A short story that never got into print.
A printed publication or edition of a text; a printing
The first print of that book has sold out.
A design or picture transferred from an engraved plate, wood block, lithographic stone, or other medium
Had prints of flowers hanging on the walls.
A photographic image transferred to paper or a similar surface.
A copy of a movie made on film or in a high resolution digital format, as for public exhibition.
A fabric or garment with a dyed pattern that has been pressed onto it, usually by engraved rollers.
The pattern itself
A blouse with a paisley print.
To press (a mark or design, for example) onto or into a surface
Tracks that were printed in the snow.
To make an impression on or in (a surface) with a device such as a stamp, seal, or die.
To press (something, such as a stamp) onto or into a surface to leave a marking.
To produce by means of pressed type, an electronic printer, or similar means, on a paper surface
Printed more copies of the ad.
To offer in printed form; publish
The publisher collected the essays and printed them as a book.
To reproduce (a digital document or image) on a paper surface
Printed the email.
To convert (a digital document) into a file format designed for publication.
To write (something) in characters similar to those commonly used in print.
To impress firmly in the mind or memory
An experience that will be printed in our hearts forever.
To produce a photographic image from (a negative, for example) by passing light through film onto a photosensitive surface, especially sensitized paper.
To produce (an electronic component) by mechanically transferring a circuit or circuit pattern onto a nonconductive surface.
To fabricate (an object) by means of a 3D printer.
To work as a printer.
To produce something in printed form by means of a printing press or other reproduction process.
To write characters similar to those commonly used in print.
To produce or receive an impression, marking, or image
The negative printed poorly.
Published or reproduced by printing, especially in contrast to electronic publication
A print newsletter.
Relating to or involved in media based on printing, especially newspapers and magazines
A print journalist.
Of, relating to, or writing for printed publications.
A print edition of a book
(transitive) To produce one or more copies of a text or image on a surface, especially by machine; often used with out or off: print out, print off.
Print the draft double-spaced so we can mark changes between the lines.
To produce a microchip (an integrated circuit) in a process resembling the printing of an image.
The circuitry is printed onto the semiconductor surface.
(ambitransitive) To write very clearly, especially, to write without connecting the letters as in cursive.
Print your name here and sign below.
I'm only in grade 2, so I only know how to print.
(ambitransitive) To publish in a book, newspaper, etc.
How could they print an unfounded rumour like that?
(transitive) To stamp or impress (something) with coloured figures or patterns.
To print calico
(transitive) To fix or impress, as a stamp, mark, character, idea, etc., into or upon something.
(transitive) To stamp something in or upon; to make an impression or mark upon by pressure, or as by pressure.
To display a string on the terminal.
To produce an observable value.
On March 16, 2020, the S&P printed at 2,386.13, one of the worst drops in history.
(transitive) To fingerprint (a person).
(uncountable) Clear handwriting, especially, writing without connected letters as in cursive.
Write in print using block letters.
(uncountable) The letters forming the text of a document.
The print is too small for me to read.
(countable) A newspaper.
A visible impression on a surface.
Using a crayon, the girl made a print of the leaf under the page.
A fingerprint.
Did the police find any prints at the scene?
A footprint.
(visual art) A picture that was created in multiple copies by printing.
(photography) A photograph that has been printed onto paper from the negative.
(film) A copy of a film that can be projected.
Cloth that has had a pattern of dye printed onto it.
(architecture) A plaster cast in bas relief.
To stamp something in or upon; to make an impression or mark upon by pressure, or as by pressure.
Forth on his fiery steed betimes he rode,That scarcely prints the turf on which he trod.
To strike off an impression or impressions of, from type, or from stereotype, electrotype, or engraved plates, or the like; in a wider sense, to do the typesetting, presswork, etc., of (a book or other publication); as, to print books, newspapers, pictures; to print an edition of a book.
To stamp or impress with colored figures or patterns; as, to print calico.
To take (a copy, a positive picture, etc.), from a negative, a transparent drawing, or the like, by the action of light upon a sensitized surface.
To use or practice the art of typography; to take impressions of letters, figures, or electrotypes, engraved plates, or the like.
To publish a book or an article.
From the moment he prints, he must except to hear no more truth.
A mark made by impression; a line, character, figure, or indentation, made by the pressure of one thing on another; as, the print of teeth or nails in flesh; the print of the foot in sand or snow.
Where print of human feet was never seen.
A stamp or die for molding or impressing an ornamental design upon an object; as, a butter print.
That which receives an impression, as from a stamp or mold; as, a print of butter.
Printed letters; the impression taken from type, as to excellence, form, size, etc.; as, small print; large print; this line is in print.
That which is produced by printing.
A core print. See under Core.
The result of the printing process;
I want to see it in black and white
A picture or design printed from an engraving
A visible indication made on a surface;
Some previous reader had covered the pages with dozens of marks
Paw prints were everywhere
A copy of a movie on film (especially a particular version of it)
A fabric with a dyed pattern pressed onto it (usually by engraved rollers)
A printed picture produced from a photographic negative
Put into print;
The newspaper published the news of the royal couple's divorce
These news should not be printed
Write as if with print; not cursive
Make into a print;
Print the negative
Reproduce by printing
Common Curiosities
Can print media offer anything that nonprint cannot?
Print media offers permanence and physicality, making it ideal for collectibles and gifts, whereas nonprint is transient and virtual.
Is nonprint media more cost-effective than print media?
Nonprint media typically involves lower production and distribution costs than print media, which requires physical materials and shipping.
What are the accessibility advantages of nonprint media?
Nonprint media often includes accessibility features like adjustable text sizes, screen reading capabilities, and translations, which are not as easily implemented in print media.
What is the impact of nonprint media on news consumption?
Nonprint media facilitates faster and broader dissemination of news, which can reach a global audience almost instantaneously.
How do demographics influence the consumption of print vs. nonprint media?
Older generations may prefer print for its familiarity, while younger demographics lean towards nonprint due to their digital nativity.
Which type of media is better for archival purposes?
Print media is often considered superior for archival because physical documents are not reliant on technology to be accessed.
How does the interactivity of nonprint media enhance user experience?
Nonprint media often allows for user interaction, such as clicking links, watching videos, or participating in polls, enhancing engagement.
How does print media offer a unique experience compared to nonprint media?
Print media provides a tactile experience that many value, such as the feel of paper and the act of turning pages, which is absent in nonprint media.
Which media type is more environmentally sustainable?
Nonprint media is generally more sustainable as it reduces the need for paper and physical distribution, though digital devices and data centers also impact the environment.
Are there financial advantages for publishers using nonprint media?
Publishers can benefit financially from nonprint media through lower overhead costs, wider distribution possibilities, and the potential for dynamic advertising models.
How does the collectibility of print media compare to nonprint media?
Print media items like first edition books or vintage magazines can become collectibles with historical and monetary value, a quality nonprint media cannot replicate.
How do updates work in print versus nonprint media?
In print media, updates require a new edition or issue, while nonprint media can be updated in real-time online.
Can nonprint media replace print media entirely?
While nonprint media is growing rapidly, print media still holds significant cultural, educational, and practical value that nonprint cannot fully replace.
What are the implications of the shift from print to nonprint media for libraries?
Libraries are adapting by expanding digital collections and services, but they continue to maintain substantial print collections to meet diverse community needs.
What are the security concerns with nonprint media?
Nonprint media faces challenges like data privacy, hacking, and digital rights management that are less of a concern for print media.
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Written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
