The idea that other groups of innovators, took away the future of the printing industry is strange because it was taken away without a fight. Much of the printing industry shrank due to electronic media's distribution of functions that were formally printed. No printing required. Other innovators also provided new digital printing methods which have also grown and are eagerly followed by the core in the print media, who have lost interest in offset.
The printing industry could do little to counter the electronic media's distribution but they could have done something to greatly slow the advance of digital printing. So how did they fight back? They whined and complained about what was happening to their beloved industry but did nothing to fight back and innovate their own process to make it harder for digital printers.
The whole point of my 30 years of effort to improve the process for consistency, predictability and extremely short makereadies, created no strong interest with the existing printing community. If the process would have been developed to be extremely predictable, the digital printers would have a hard time getting a foothold. Even today, it seems that digital print quality (Landa too) is only approaching offset quality but not surpassing it.
Offset has big advantages if one is not needing variable print because the inks and paper are less costly. In the end, the cost of materials is a big issue if the process can be made reliable.
I am personally sick of all the excuses I have heard over this time. What was needed were people who wanted change and were willing to take risks for potential benefits. What is not needed are whiners. And when people start to say how complicated the process is, I just hear blah blah blah blah and know that they don't want to change.
So yes, the printing industry is to blame for some of its problems they have now. If one does not make the changes needed, someone else will take things away from you. And they should because one does not deserve something if one is not willing to fight for. You fight by making innovations.
