Print - That Beautiful Tool We Love to Hate

I love shoes. And when a gorgeous Saks Fifth Avenue shoe catalog fell out of my New York Times the other morning, it engaged several senses at once to prove that even though print is outdated and somewhat dangerous, it can be beautiful in a way no website will ever be.

Just like no website can put your child on Santa's lap for a Christmas photo, or give you a sample of a field-grown tomato, nothing online can ever replace the smell of printer's ink, the sensuous feel of heavy stock, and the way the photos on a page can seem to glow from within.

Nonetheless, I have very mixed feelings about print. It is out-dated by the Internet. It kills trees. It uses petroleum products. The benzines used in printing are carcinogenic. But it can be very lovely to look at, and there is still nothing that can replace the truly interactive action of turning the page to a beautiful new image.

Must go buy shoes now....

I run into a very similar love-hate issue with "paper and pencil." Even though I use a computer to write and store information, I still seem to have my best thoughts when there is a pencil in my hand... but then sometimes I lose the paper I wrote the thought on and wish it had been on the computer.