Newspaper readers are declining, and young adult readers are leading the downward charge. But hope -- and the right demographics -- for print media can be found online, according to experts.

According to a 2005 Ball State University study, print media is the least-consumed form of media consumed across all ages. However, the use of printed materials is shown to increase with age.

Digital media is a "way of building and maintaining a relationship with younger audiences because young people don't read the newspaper," said Mike Bloxham, director of testing and assessment at Center for Media Design at Ball State.

Penn State, whose library has an extensive online network of newspapers, is an example of an organization that is shifting its news resources toward an online format.

Debora Cheney, Foster Communications librarian, said although the complete text is not available for all resources, at least partial text is accessible for thousands of articles.

"We spend roughly $225,000 annually on newspaper databases alone," she said. "They are the most heavily used resources online. Newspapers have a broad constituency; we wouldn't be putting that kind of money into them if we weren't getting that use from them."

Less than 40 percent of study participants read print media for less than half an hour. However, the exposure to print media increases with age, Bloxham said.

"Television is still the 800-pound gorilla in media and beats out all other forms of media," Bloxham said. "Computer has crept into second place, including Web, e-mail, instant messager and desktop applications."

Although print media is declining, there is no reason leading information brands cannot make the transition to electric media distribution, he said.

Russell Frank, associate professor of communications, said that printed media readership is decreasing because of the ease of finding information on the Internet. Newspapers on the front step are outdated because either you have already heard the old news or new news has occurred.

"Once you know you can get information immediately, you become unwilling to wait," Frank said.

The print media industry is looking for alternatives to maintain readership in a world that is becoming dominated by on-the-go technology.

"Newspaper business is working furiously to come up with a convenient, portable device that can be continually updated, unlike print versions," Frank said. "Portability and ease of use remains the key issue."

Frank said there would be economic benefits in changing to digital media.

"Costs for printing and distributing could be greatly minimized by digital forms of media," he said.

Although he likes paging through the paper and completing crossword puzzles, he said it is "hard to justify print from an economical standpoint."

There is also a historical element to newspapers. Printed papers can be saved as a keepsake or be displayed.

"Books and magazines are artifacts, and electronic files do not have the same impact," Frank said.

An older generation that grew up with print may be more attached than younger generations, he said.

"A lot of people, including me, don't like to read long things on screens. It is better if it all fits on the screen," Frank said.

Michael Talone, optometrist at Nittany Eye Associates, said comfort is an issue when deciding to read printed media or electronic media.

He said the human eye is designed to read script below eye level, so computers, which are set on a plane that is parallel to the head, can cause strain on a person's focusing system.

Talone also said that dry eye tends to be a more consistent issue with people who look at computer systems, and reflective media, like computers, can also contribute to eye strain.

He added that the colors of a computer screen will not physically hurt the eyes more than reading a gray copy of print media, but some people find bright colors uncomfortable to look at.

"With a newspaper, [your eye] is going to be a little bit more easily focused in one plane, but that's a minimal impact," he said.