Dream ‘Zine  

Perfect digital magazine for Perfect Studios  

Ten reasons why PrintmakingWorld’s On-line, Digital Magazine are the perfect online platform for a wired and savvy printmaker’s world are given here based on research by the Mequoda Group, the online magazine development and consultant business in Boston.

Digital printmaking magazines are best in ten ways:

1. Timely – When the issue is released, it can be viewed and downloaded instantly. For printmaking news-based, educational magazines especially, this is important. It is even important for those who look forward to reading the latest printmaking “star” gossip as it is announced.

2. Portable – When given the choice to bring along with you ten magazines on a 12-hour flight, on a digital tablet or smartphone, which takes up the least amount of carry-on space?

3. Collectible – Just as digital tablet users collect apps, they can collect magazines. Magazine apps are increasingly allowing subscribers to clip and save certain articles of the magazine too, which makes it even easier to replace printed matter (if it exists!). And again, apps take up a lot less space than print magazines.

4. Searchable – Usability of printmaking magazines has never been very convenient. Sometimes it is hard even find the index among the pages of ads or at the front of the magazine where you would expect to find it. Searchable digital magazines reduce the barrier to engagement.

5. Share-able – In the app publishing world, they know about allowing subscribers to share content, and sharing is big in the printmaking world. In today’s social media driven world—and for the future of today’s young students—printmakers want to share with everyone, a feature of paper-based printmaking magazines that simply does not exist.

6. Video enhanced – Thirty years ago—around 1983—sci-fi films predicted that we would be watching video news clips right on print magazines by touching the page. In Harry Potter, they showed motion in paper photos. That was just silly. Digital magazines with video printmaking tutorials, interviews, and even video advertisements for printmaking tools, materials, supplies and presses make much more sense.

7. Audio enhanced – Along the same lines, subscribers enjoy listening to sound clips, interviews and instructional advertorials, something not possible in the paper-based printmaking magazines.

8. Games – Paper-based printmaking magazines never offered anything like crossword puzzles, hidden object or interactive games; certainly not. How could they? Digital printmaking magazines open doors to all kinds of interactivity such as social networks, serious games, clubs, apps and other possibilities.

9. Depth – Printmakers - those with years of experience especially - will be drawn to the on-line printmaking magazine because they can find articles with intellectual depth deeper than paper-based magazines by drilling down through vast data on every subject—history, theory, philosophy, biography, etc. of their choice.

10. Breadth – A world-class printmaking magazine is not limited a geographic printmaking scene but can draw in contributions from all over the world—from the printmaking living on a game preserve in South Africa to the one in the middle of London—as the lines of communication are wide open and widening.