Why Are So Many Digital Publishers Turning to Print?

In yet another sign that the print naysayers are wrong, a growing number of publishers and websites that had previously only put out content in a digital format are now turning to print. Examples include:

• Reddit – The popular social news site published a book that is a 400-page compendium of some of their favorite "Ask Me Anything subreddits". While the book is available in digital form, the $35 hardcover versions have been surprisingly popular.¹


• Tablet – In November 2015 Jewish website Tablet launched a print magazine that features entirely different content than the website. Editor-in-chief Alana Newhouse commented that the print magazine was created "to provide a deep, thoughtful read."²


• YEG Fitness – Thanks to reader demand, this 3-year-old digital publication is launching a print version in 2016.³


• The Pitchfork Review – Launched in 2014, the site's print magazine is a 200-plus page quarterly publication dedicated to long-form music writing, photography, design and comics.⁴


• Porter – This glossy publication launched in 2014 by online luxury retailer Net-A-Porter has been billed as the first "global, truly shoppable fashion magazine."⁵


• Catster & Dogster – These new print magazines from popular online communities for cat and dog lovers were launched in 2015.⁶

Why are so many digital publishers turning to print? Because print is effective, and it provides a very different experience than digital. A printed magazine's physicality requires that it must be handled in some way when it arrives. And many magazines are not just handled once – they're kept and shared, often residing for months in a place of prominence in the home or office.

Many readers are asking for print, many advertisers will only purchase ads in print, and now many publishers are obliging them.

011217