Interview with Deborah Corn, Intergalactic Ambassador to the Printerverse
Q&A with Deborah Corn, who is presenting at The Design + Marketing Summit 2025
Deborah Corn provides printspiration, education, and resources to print and marketing professionals worldwide through her site, speaking engagements, live and online events, Podcasts from The Printerverse, and ProjectPeacock.TV.
She’s also speaking at The Design + Marketing Summit 2025, which takes place July 28-30 online, with a session on The Print Advantage.
We thought it would be fun to get to know her better with some Q&A.
You’re the Intergalactic Ambassador to the Printerverse—how did that title come to be?
In 2008, I started the Print Production Professionals group on LinkedIn, which has grown into the platform’s largest print-related community with nearly 140,000 members. As the group expanded, I recognized a unique opportunity – I had a front-row seat to the needs, questions, and conversations happening across every segment of the industry. That insight allowed me to connect members with the resources, support, and answers they were looking for, and to create content and events based on what the industry was actually asking for. In 2009, I declared myself the Intergalactic Ambassador to The Printerverse, a role rooted in helping people across all sectors of print connect, learn, and succeed. I still proudly serve that mission today.
You often speak about “PRINTSPIRATION.” Can you share a moment when print truly inspired you?
I’ve been part of award-winning campaigns at award-winning agencies. Seeing creative ideas come to life, and knowing I played a big role, was always a source of pride, especially when I saw my work out in the world.
That would have been my answer until March 2020.
When COVID hit, the printing industry was deemed essential and rose to the occasion. Printers used their resources and equipment to keep people and businesses safe, informed, connected, and selling. They supported each other, their communities, and this country, often with limited staff and around-the-clock work.
I’ve never been prouder or more inspired by print. I created this tribute to honor that moment.
What advice do you have for designers or marketers who want to get more involved in the print world but don’t know where to start?
GO VISIT A PRINT SHOP!!! Then visit another, and another. Go to printing industry events; see print possibilities in action and get a hefty dose of printspiration from the samples and marketing sessions. Sign up for free magazines and newsletters from the paper mills and merchants. FIND ME! I will help you get started.
What is the biggest marketing misconception about print?
That print is antiquated and unmeasurable. Both are common misconceptions, but they’re buyer-driven, not industry realities. If designers, brands, and businesses step out of their comfort zones and invest time in learning about today’s digital print technology and data-driven tools, they’ll discover a world of “I didn’t know I could do that!”
What idea do you want embossed in attendees’ brains after they’ve experienced The Print Advantage session at the Design + Marketing Summit 2025?
That print is your secret weapon for communication: tangible, trusted, and impossible to ignore.
This article was last modified on July 11, 2025
This article was first published on July 7, 2025
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