I’m all-in on AI but print still wins on retention

Stepping away from the scroll can be the best way to 'go deep'

I spend my life in the digital trenches. Between managing  the marketing for a small grocery chain, and now taking on the editor-in-chief role for a magazine launch, I’m deep in the Microsoft and Adobe ecosystems for hours a day. I’ve leaned into AI. I’ve transitioned from the analog world of my youth to the high-speed digital present without looking back.

But there is one thing I refuse to give up: my printer.

When it’s time for a proofreading or a final edit, I don't look at a screen. I hit “Print.” There is a specific, grounding shift that happens when I sit down with a coffee and a small stack of paper – and it’s not about nostalgia. It feels more like a performance boost.

And research suggests that feeling isn’t imaginary.

Geography of the Page

Think about how you navigate a book. You don’t just remember the words, you remember where they live. Halfway through, bottom left of the page, near the chart you dog-eared.

Researchers sometimes refer to this as spatial mapping. When text has a stable physical form, readers can build a kind of mental map of it. The thickness of pages in your right hand. The fixed position of a pull quote. The way a diagram sits across a spread. Those cues appear to help anchor information in memory.

On a screen, especially when scrolling, those landmarks are more fluid. You may still understand what you’re reading, but part of your attention is also managing navigation. Over long stretches of informational text, that difference can add up.

Which may explain why I can edit a 2,000-word feature on paper and catch problems I somehow missed several times on screen. Errors that should have been obvious. Researchers have found that screens can give us that “nailed it” feeling, even when our grip on the details is looser than we think.

The Skimming Reflex

There’s now a substantial body of research comparing print and digital reading. Large meta-analyses, including the Stavanger Declaration, report a small but consistent comprehension advantage for print when people read long-form informational texts, particularly under time pressure.

That may be true in the world of academia, but in my experience, these “small but consistent” differences are bloody big ones.

Print Reading Retention

Part of the explanation may be behavioral. Over the past two decades, we’ve trained ourselves to read screens efficiently. Eye-tracking studies show that digital reading – especially on the web – often involves scanning patterns. We look for keywords, skim headings, and hunt for the takeaway.

Anything to save time. After all, lives depend on it! (not really)

But when you’re working through technical instructions, a dense essay, or a step-by-step how-to, depth beats speed. Print environments tend to make sustained, linear reading easier. There’s nowhere to click, nowhere to refresh. Just you and the page.

The Mid-Day Reset

I’ve started treating print less like a format and more like a performance tool.

A twenty-minute break with a physical magazine in the middle of a screen-heavy day feels different than twenty minutes of scrolling. Subjectively, it feels like my brain relaxes.

Moving from the cold, frictionless glass of a screen to the textured weight of paper creates a sensory shift. And context matters more than we think. When the environment gets simpler and more stable, attention tends to follow. It feels like downshifting – not because paper magically rewires your nervous system, but because it strips away some of the layers that keep your brain quietly revving in the background.

Cognitive research helps explain why that might be. Digital environments often combine reading with navigation, alerts, and multitasking. Even when you resist them, they’re present – and there’s nothing like chasing a shiny link that looks more interesting than what you’re currently reading. A printed page removes that layer. The attentional demands are simpler.

Is it a miracle cure for distraction? No. But as a reset, it works.

The Bedtime Guardrail

If there’s one area where the science is especially solid, it’s sleep.

Evening exposure to bright, blue-enriched light from screens can suppress melatonin, the hormone that signals your body that it’s time to wind down. Doomscrolling on your device can also increase cognitive and emotional arousal, making it harder to transition into sleep.

Putting it bluntly: your phone is not neutral at 11:00 p.m.

Switching to print before bed changes the sensory equation. The light is softer, the experience is single-tasked, and there are no notifications waiting in the wings. For many people, that creates a smoother runway into sleep.

A magazine or book on the nightstand isn’t retro. It’s a boundary.

Why am I Still Doing Print?

I’m not getting involved in launching a print magazine because it’s nostalgic.

I’m doing it because the format supports the kind of reading I care about: careful, practical, immersive. The research suggests print offers a modest but meaningful advantage for long-form comprehension.

My lived experience says the same. In a world of infinite scroll, a magazine (or a book) doesn’t compete for your attention. It holds it.

So yes, I’ll keep the laptop, keep the AI, and keep the cloud. But when it’s time to really, carefully absorb something, I’ll print it. Or better yet, I’ll buy the magazine or book, pour the coffee, and soak up what’s on the page.

No refresh button required.

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Every message has two jobs: get noticed and get remembered. That’s where I come in – helping businesses turn everyday communication into something clear, compelling, and built to last. If you’re ready to sharpen your story, let’s talk.

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Neil Moore is a communications specialist, freelance journalist, masters athlete, and family man who believes that excellence has no expiry date.

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