Print vs. Digital Magazines: The Future of Reading and Collecting

[misterhomme]

Print magazines, no debate!! Who DOESN'T love the feel of paper, the feeling of seeing something which can grasped? I feel editorials especially lose that special something when they are not in print.

 

[KaitlynAliano]

There are very few magazines that I find necessary to own in print. Most magazines I have purchased in the past take me about an hour to read (or skim) through. Once I'm finished, they end up cluttering my room until I remember to throw them out. I'm not a collector so for me, digital media is better.

 

[senorgemma]

For me it will always be print, I guess theres just something about the rush of going to the store and buying the mag itching to pour into it, sometimes cutting it up and putting it around my room if it's not as good as expected, and when I'm bored flicking through it even if it's months old.

 

[blueorchid]

One thing I've never really thought of in regards to Digital Media are the conditions that the factory workers who produce our ipods, cell phones, etc. deal with.

I've found two interesting articles on the conditions of workers at Foxconn, where they make apple products, in addition to video game consoles. It doesn't sound too fun to be a worker there, to say the least.

1) iPhone maker faces new criticism over China labor practices


2) Confidential Foxconn Report Leaked With Stories of Abused Employees

 

[franklinthompson]

We all love to feel and smell the pages of print. And online mags just don't carry the same readership, status and appeal as print.

However, I just came from a conference about the future of the industry and the future of magazines is definitely going to be digital tablets..ie iPad.

 

[YoninahAliza]

We all love to feel and smell the pages of print. And online mags just don't carry the same readership, status and appeal as print.

However, I just came from a conference about the future of the industry and the future of magazines is definitely going to be digital tablets..ie iPad.

That conference sounds really neat! It sure seems like we are moving to a digital magazine world, even as much as I wish we wouldn't.

 

[markese91]

I think that when it comes down to is fashion will never get rid of print. I see print as something moving towards artistic endeavors though and luxury and philosophy. I think the time of print attempting to dictate what we wear and give us information about the industry as in just industry news, is over. I think more print magazines are going to move towards the bi annual, quarterly variety and they are really going to have to dig deep into fashion and find things that haven't been discussed the month before, so we'll start to see alot of interviews, and alot of conceptualizing about fashion is what I think.

I love digital and I only think it's going to get alot better. I feel as if as a whole, digital magazines outstrip print magazines when it comes to editorial work and creativity but print magazines are better for the person who realy is reading fashion, as I do. I think neither is better but print will have to find a more niche role than it has had in the past.

 

[Jared]

There's something old fashioned about a print publication that is just comforting. For me, Print is hands down better!

 

[mackos]

You can open a magazine or a book to any page, dive into the story
and it's in your hands
which creates an emotional bridge that I've never experienced with computers...

Beautifully said, I couldn't express it better There is something indeed when you're reading the magazine in the real world, taking in in your hands, turning the pages... I love it.

I'm more into printed versions, there really is a difference between the digital ones. Let's take for example Lanvin F/W 10 ad campaign. I wasn't convinced looking at them, but when I saw them printed in a magazine, I really loved them.

 

[mishahoi]

Well, here is another score for digital: VOGUE girl Japan has launched an English edition of their magazine-for iPad and iPhone as a free app. It is apparently the first time a foreign-language VOGUE has been translated into English-and of course it couldn't have been done in print.

Vogue girl Japan on itunes

 

[YoninahAliza]

I actually downloaded the Vogue girl Japan onto my iphone and while it's really cool to finally read the magazine instead of just look at the pictures I found it slightly annoying that I have to enlarge the picture to read something but then I can't see the whole page. Which is one reason that I still prefer print to digital in some aspects. I like being able to see the whole picture not just a portion of the image. Although, perhaps it would be nicer to look at on an ipad? Anyone else have the same feelings?

 

[Ives927]

I don't see print magazine ever die out. I rushing out to the magazine store and look for the latest issue that I've been waiting for, take it home, flip through once, and flip through it once again and reading it, then put it up on my shelf

I love the smell and touch of a magazine. I need and want something tangible. Digital just doesn't do it for me. I have never and will never purchase it. Why would I when everything is available online? I can easily right click and save. But to purchase a magazine and physically own the images and articles is a totally different experience.

 

[F0F0]

Has anyone here have downloaded the POST magazine app for the iPad?

http://www.style.com/stylefile/2011/01/is-there-a-world-post-print-magazines/

 

[tarsha]

Definitely prefer print magazines, it's totally different from digital versions. I spend a lot of money to get magazines from around the world, when everything I'm interested in the issues can be found online FOR FREE! But when I get magazine, I love how different editorials and ads are and I love collecting them. I hope the fact that more & more magazines are doing online editions won't hurt print media.

 

[F0F0]

Beautifully said, I couldn't express it better There is something indeed when you're reading the magazine in the real world, taking in in your hands, turning the pages... I love it.

I'm more into printed versions, there really is a difference between the digital ones. Let's take for example Lanvin F/W 10 ad campaign. I wasn't convinced looking at them, but when I saw them printed in a magazine, I really loved them.

hehehe...This thread reminds me of those hot conversations on music industry forums back in 1999 ("digital music will never replace the physical need of having a CD because X, Y and Z"). Ironically today CDs appeared to be in the way of the Dodo when Lady Gaga smashing Amazon's servers with her 99 cents album and old vinyl LPs are surging in sales.

Anyway, I think the near future solution for the dilemma about fashion magazines is the e-paper. That will bring the best of both worlds. Sony is already innovating in this area. They even developed an electronic paper you can bend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtLfJ-mFsA8
And you also have this innovative Taiwanese company that is excelling in this field (can't remember the name at the moment thou).

Although I can't wait to experiment a FULL DIGITAL-PHYSICAL magazine, I think this SO near future!

I think the medium-term future will bring better surprises. Has someone here experimented The Live Issue magazine from those crazy British chicks? That was literally a LIVE magazine (it happened early this month and sayonara).

I think the fashion magazines (either digital or paper-made) are going to disappear in the long term future to be replaced by self-generated body and mind immersive dreamy media ...but full of product placements.

 

[Kayote]

hehehe...This thread reminds me of those hot conversations on music industry forums back in 1999 ("digital music will never replace the physical need of having a CD because X, Y and Z"). Ironically today CDs appeared to be in the way of the Dodo when Lady Gaga smashing Amazon's servers with her 99 cents album and old vinyl LPs are surging in sales.

Anyway, I think the near future solution for the dilemma about fashion magazines is the e-paper. That will bring the best of both worlds. Sony is already innovating in this area. They even developed an electronic paper you can bend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtLfJ-mFsA8
And you also have this innovative Taiwanese company that is excelling in this field (can't remember the name at the moment thou).

Although I can't wait to experiment a FULL DIGITAL-PHYSICAL magazine, I think this SO near future!

I think the medium-term future will bring better surprises. Has someone here experimented The Live Issue magazine from those crazy British chicks? That was literally a LIVE magazine (it happened early this month and sayonara).

I think the fashion magazines (either digital or paper-made) are going to disappear in the long term future to be replaced by self-generated body and mind immersive dreamy media ...but full of product placements.

I actually have/ use a Sony ebook reader and have to say, they are awesome. The technology still has a long way to go before it matures buts its going in the right direction.

I also agree with everyone, there is something about looking at print magazine and feeling the texture and flipping through it; oh and lets not forget the perfume samples and smell

 

[Lela London]

Like a lot of you, I adore the feeling and collecting of magazines.

However, getting a HQ version of a photoshoot, having videos and extra content incorporated - there is no doubt that it will be digital or bust in the next 10 years.

 

[CholoChic]

I love print magazines because, you can see the perfect color of photos
and the resolution is optimal,
because print magz normally are in 300dpi
and digital mags just are 72dpi
so you cant see the detail of photos...
to see them you have to load a HD picture and to see the close details you have to zoom
your screen
in print magz you dont have that inconvenience.

 

[konik]

i dont think it's a question of one or the other, it's a question of content. people don't want to wait around another month to find out what's 'hot', or which events are coming up--you don't need vogue to tell you about that stuff. I think blogs and digital will naturally take over that sort of content where timeliness is key. However, it is hard to replicate the beauty of a large high quality thick paper print that comes with a lot of european high fashion magazines, a computer screen does not do justice. I know as a photographer, even looking at an 11x14 print from my book just blows away the same image on my computer, you can't put it in words, you just know the difference.
Net net, I don't think it's an atrocity that digital is gaining momentum, I think it's wonderful that we as consumers of fashion media have more choices. It's great that we can see video in addition to stills, it's great we have sound. I'm not thrilled with all the matrix 3D spin the high heel crap, but it does add a lot more depth when you work with digital. I enjoy both! I'm still going to spend the 30 bucks at the international newsstand for my print editions, but I will also download ipad apps, surf blogs and check out digital media as well.
Why choose, enjoy both in different ways!!

 

[rosiecheeks]

i dont think it's a question of one or the other, it's a question of content. people don't want to wait around another month to find out what's 'hot', or which events are coming up--you don't need vogue to tell you about that stuff. I think blogs and digital will naturally take over that sort of content where timeliness is key. However, it is hard to replicate the beauty of a large high quality thick paper print that comes with a lot of european high fashion magazines, a computer screen does not do justice. I know as a photographer, even looking at an 11x14 print from my book just blows away the same image on my computer, you can't put it in words, you just know the difference.
Net net, I don't think it's an atrocity that digital is gaining momentum, I think it's wonderful that we as consumers of fashion media have more choices. It's great that we can see video in addition to stills, it's great we have sound. I'm not thrilled with all the matrix 3D spin the high heel crap, but it does add a lot more depth when you work with digital. I enjoy both! I'm still going to spend the 30 bucks at the international newsstand for my print editions, but I will also download ipad apps, surf blogs and check out digital media as well.
Why choose, enjoy both in different ways!!

I'm with you there. It's not a matter of choosing. And I think that you can't really compare these two. Yes you can have in a certain way the same content (obviously you cannot put a video in a print magazine, but you can put pictures from a video in there), there's definitely an overlap. The pro's of digital magazines would be the whole interactive 'like' part of facebook for example, or the fact that videos, music etc. can be included.
But pages of a magazine have more emotional value, not just because of their quality, but also from the fact that it's just different on the eye, it's more simple, less of a hassle and therefore (to me) more beautiful and pure.
I've never really cared much for the digital anyway. It's not really there, and it can be lost so easily. There are magazines that I've kept since 2003 and I cherish them. I do not feel the same for anything digital, exept for some emails and texts, and even then I prefer a love letter.