Is Print Dead?

[Sportin' Wood]

Is Print Dead?

Are printed magazines still in demand?

I had a 3.5 hour discussion yesterday with a friend that owns a printed magazine that hits the newsstand and gets mailed to subscribers.

At least 2.5 hours was spent exploring the future of his book. His demographic is primarily men, his Boomer demo is about the same as RDP, they have some money, they buy things from his advertisers, it all works pretty good. His younger crowd, has no money, they want everything for free, they want to consume digitally, but for free. Advertisers can direct their spend to PPC ads on various platforms to satisfy their needs with a very flexible cost structure away from his book.

The question we kept coming back to was as the Boomer market shrinks, will the younger markets support a printed book?

He is considering what three years from now looks like and his exit strategy.

If you know the book, please don't post the name. I don't think it's important, however it is a niche market, just like RDP.

I suspect I know the answer is Yes, Print is Dead, but that is the kind of complex business problem I like to solve. What say you?

 

[badgas]

It is dying but not dead.

I grew up in the printing industry. I sold commercial printing from age 27-51. Covid put the death nail in my core business which was Toyota dealer brochures.

I have many friends and family who still do well in printing but you need to find a special niche.

I used to print a niche art magazine that was considered a " survivor " even in the early 2000's and it is still in print today so it can keep rolling but you need to bring in new customers.

Does he also have an online version for the younger crowd ? online subscriptions will keep it afloat !

 

[monkeyswrench]

Well, I know several guys that used to work in that magazine field...cars, not porn. Even they had to move to an online platform.

Reading and print take time. Every new generation has less attention span. We've turned society into cats chasing a laser pointer, the attention span of a gnat. People now use their phone on the crapper, and the magazine racks have gone away.

There still seems to be a niche for quarterly things, more expensive and near display quality, but for how long, I do not know. FWIW, I still enjoy the tactile concept of print. It cannot be changed or altered once done, and requires nothing more than light to read it.

 

[Mandelon]

I still enjoy reading printed books. My son reads mostly on the phone, tablet or kindle though. Of course while I read books, I haven't bought one in years.

 

[JL95]

I miss all the magazines. Truckin, Ridebmx, Dig bmx, Street trucks. Hell I think Dupont registry was fun to look at.

 

[BabyRay]

It’s not just the younger generations making the shift. Print may not be dead overall, but it is to me, and I’m a mid-boomer.

I’m also what might be described as a “voracious” reader, and I haven’t read a printed book or magazine in years. Everything I’m interested in is available via browser or Kindle. If it’s available ONLY in print, they’ve lost me.

 

[TPC]

Smaller Newspaper style may work.
We have a small paper here called the Acorn and it does well.

 

[Vamodsquad]

I think it was better for my eyesight to read print than to read from a computer, the way we do now.

 

[pixrthis]

Hot Rod magazine only produces six issues a year and they’re very thin, that should give you some indication.

 

[ltbaney1]

I prefer print, and still enjoy going to barnes and noble and the like looking for books or magazines. my wife is the exact opostite. she prefers to read on her phone.

 

[BHC Vic]

I’m at this weird age. I grew up with a lot of both. I will say I do not like digital code books. I want to be able to tab and flip pages. Same with the rule books for umpiring. Even with their smart search feature I would still have a printed copy

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Vinyl records were supposedly dead, but now you can find those easier than CDs. And most audio is consumed digitally. So who knows.

One thing about print is, short of burning, it can't be erased. I wouldn't be surprised if our current era will be considered like the dark ages by future historians. The technology to view our thoughts and ideas will be long gone and they will be left to piece together our world though fractured lenses of what little remaining text survives.

 

[COCA COLA COWBOY]

I'm old, but I prefer print. However, the latest years of magazines because less articles and for my hobbies, those articles were not fact, but just supporting the magazines advertisers. Example, my son just needed a new motorcycle and from the online research from websites where advertisers were present the reviews were completely jaded. My 12 year old son actually knew this before me as people from the tracks know what are good and bad. So to make a long story short, a lot of print lost subscribers because they started to print support for their advertisers and not facts. Just like news....news used to be factual and now it is 100% political BS from one side or the other. Bring back facts and I think you may find support.

 

[TimeBandit]

Magazines and check books are dead.

No printed matter in my kid's houses at all... Except for the grandkids books.

The list of things that we enjoyed that are now dying is getting longer every day.

 

[Boatymcboatface]

I gave my daughter print newspaper style ad from chaparral motorsports the other day. It was hilarious watching he trying to figure out how to turn the pages. She wanted to know why they didn’t staple it or do anything to help hold it together.

She’s into reading paper books and can’t stand reading on her phone, laptop or tablet, but the newspaper was just too much for her. She’s 13.

 

[Mcob25rg]

Spent 42 years in the industry. Got out 2 years ago. Shrinking, but will be another 5-10 years before it's gone. Government is still mandating certain thing by monopolies get to print, politics will still go that way, as well as a few others, but just realize all of us reading this thread used to wait with baited breath for the new issue of hot boat magazine to arrive. It was more important than work, and now doesn't exist

 

[evantwheeler]

I get a quarterly print magazine called Toyota Trails as part of my Toyota Land Cruiser Association yearly dues. I really enjoy reading it. They do a reader rides type of section, one or two adventure story articles per issue, and three or four satellite group event re-caps with narrative and photos. Ads from all the Landcruiser specific suppliers and restorers that we all know about. I enjoy it because I'm into Land Cruisers. I'm not into mini trucks, or 4 runners, or tacomas, or jeeps, and this rag is specific to the land cruiser.

The last magazine I had a subscription to was CRAWL, and I let it go because life got busy and I was travelling a bunch for work and never at home to get my mail. I just signed up for a 2 year subscription for $42, so thanks for the nudge.

The thing that I think the internet has done that print cannot do well, is you can curate your content online. Paying for a yearly membership on a forum usually allows for less BS ads pushed in your face. If you're into a brand or specific model of a brand, you can look at what intrigues you, and dive as deep as your free time allows.

I think there will always be a place for print as "bespoke" publications targeting small interested audiences. (I hate that word with a passion, but I think it fits here appropriately). Think Porsche owner magazine or something along those lines.

 

[Orange Juice]

How much is a monthly magazine, today? 8.95-12.95?

The price is what kills it.

I’ll take the internet for free, with the occasional $10 newsstand edition, before I jump on the airplane.

 

[BHC Vic]

Magazines and check books are dead.

No printed matter in my kid's houses at all... Except for the grandkids books.

The list of things that we enjoyed that are now dying is getting longer every day.

I stopped ordering checks last year. I was using them only to pay the nanny and the gardener. I give them both cash now.

 

[MonkeyButt70]

Print is overall Dead. Crazy thing when I have picked up a magazine I have actually swiped my index finger and thumb on the pic to zoom in.

 

[Javajoe]

How much is a monthly magazine, today? 8.95-12.95?

The price is what kills it.

I’ll take the internet for free, with the occasional $10 newsstand edition, before I jump on the airplane.

When my dad was in the hospital a month or so ago I asked the wife if stores still had Mags. She said I think so. Went and bought a couple. Holy Shit they are expensive. That will kill them for sure.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

I remember starting a rant when Hot Rod back away from monthly.
I have 40 years of HRM, about the same of Car Craft. I just moved them yesterday. I loved the tech and the magazine format, but I can see the whole deal they are facing.
I don' know the answer, I hope some smart guy finds one, but with the you tube taking over the world, many younger people just do not want to invest the time in actually reading a magazine.
It is a shame.

 

[Caydens Cat]

The dark age reference made me think about photos and that print is dead. Most of us have photo albums of some sort around the house capturing the timeline of life. Always fun to bust those out. Now that it’s digital, we take 100 to 1,000x photos but never to be shared or remembered outside of the moment. Enjoy seeing FB reminders of “15 years ag today”, guess that’s what it’s gone to.

Then again maybe not so doom and gloom. Those digital archives are getting better with AI and meta data. But from say late 90’s to the last few years may go missing.

 

[bowtiejunkie]

Plenty of printed material still shows up in our mailbox daily. Print isn't dead in Texas. lol.

We get the Sunday newspaper, which is still a decent size and sports page has stellar coverage of North Texas high school football. I did subscribe to WSJ 6 days a week, which I didn't have time to read. Our two teenage girls want nothing to do with newspaper, well, really any print outside of books for school.

We subscribe to three magazines, Southern Living, Kiplinger's, and Racer X. I dumped the auto magazines as it just wasn't interesting enough anymore.

Still buy books. Still get some catelogs. I still prefer printed materials. I have a couple of PDF factory service manuals. Nice to have on the phone while wrenching, but can print the specific pages for work being performed.

I hope print doesn't die completely.

 

[Sportin' Wood]

It is dying but not dead.


Does he also have an online version for the younger crowd ? online subscriptions will keep it afloat !

He does not have much of a digital footprint, that is why we are talking.

I appreciate all the responses to my question, please keep them coming. I also prefer analog printed materials for reading.

 

[Cobalt232]

I don't get any magazines anymore. The only one I read (and look forward to) is Aviation Week. My dad has gotten it for as long as I can remember. He is a retired Boeing engineer, so he is still on a free subscription plan.

 

[ltbaney1]

I’m at this weird age. I grew up with a lot of both. I will say I do not like digital code books. I want to be able to tab and flip pages. Same with the rule books for umpiring. Even with their smart search feature I would still have a printed copy

same. when looking at prints for work i still print them out. i mark them up with notes and highlighters. my industry is kind of odd. most of my manufactures still send paper catalogs. reasoning is the guy at the machine or shop floor isnt infront of a computer, but can have a couple catalogs on the bench.

 

[traquer]

I used to work for Motor Trend and their parent company 15 years ago. They still sold a lot of magazines then. These days, it's all Youtube... Roadkill came out of MotorTrend and the hot rod magazines they owned which is great, they adapted the best they could. Not sure how much money that brings in though compared to the past..

On another note, it's popular nowadays for young people to have nice large format hardcover books lying around the house, as well as archival-print magazines, that act as decoration and showcase whatever hobby or lifestyle they like (I've seen lots of vintage Porsche books, art, travel etc.). Niche market though, and needs a lucky break for sure

 

[Racey]

Is Print Dead?

Are printed magazines still in demand?

I had a 3.5 hour discussion yesterday with a friend that owns a printed magazine that hits the newsstand and gets mailed to subscribers.

At least 2.5 hours was spent exploring the future of his book. His demographic is primarily men, his Boomer demo is about the same as RDP, they have some money, they buy things from his advertisers, it all works pretty good. His younger crowd, has no money, they want everything for free, they want to consume digitally, but for free. Advertisers can direct their spend to PPC ads on various platforms to satisfy their needs with a very flexible cost structure away from his book.

The question we kept coming back to was as the Boomer market shrinks, will the younger markets support a printed book?

He is considering what three years from now looks like and his exit strategy.

If you know the book, please don't post the name. I don't think it's important, however it is a niche market, just like RDP.

I suspect I know the answer is Yes, Print is Dead, but that is the kind of complex business problem I like to solve. What say you?

Mass print is dead, independent niche print is on a resurgence, but it's expensive and caters to a very narrow audience. If you find a good marke yo super serve you can sell fewer copies for a mich higher price. Think $20 and above per copy

Honestly mass print was dead 15 years ago when 60-80% of the magazine was advertisements.... They screwed the consumer and skinned that cow instead of milking it.

 

[Javajoe]

Popular Mechanics was a very good mag

 

[Javajoe]

Those slap cards they peddle on Vegas corners are probably lucrative. Printing thousands at a time

 

[Sportin' Wood]

We have many print magazine titles laying around, but we are not normal. Some of them are quarterly and carry a hefty price compared to other titles. Each unique in their own way, but the common denominator is story telling and value. Story telling provides entertainment, the value comes in what we can learn. Sometimes it is travel related, in the case of https://americanflyfishing.com/ They provide a lot of good information about destinations. Some of our other magazines teach recipes or give tips on how to get rid of a pest in your garden.

Some of the books are just stunning photography.

I have the same need when it comes to youtube. It is really hard to sift through the crap and find the great story tellers, the people who provide an educational experience and the best quality presentations. I watched part of a video on Youtube this week that was over the top production quality, but zero story line. I found myself bored and left the page after I sped through the content looking for a change that never came. The next video was filmed with a cell phone but was useful destination information.

My point is that regardless of the medium, the content must provide value.

 

[spectras only]

I worked at Creo/Kodak. Creo invented CTP [ computr to plate ] using high power laser. Our machines produced highest quality prints in the world. Creo partnered with Heidelberg to setup network in Europe and Asia. We've had a thriving business. Sports Illustrated and other high end publications mainly used our technology. Small prnting shops couldn't afford it, We.ve seen the light when Kodak gone into chapter 11 for years, after spending $1B buying Creo in 2007. 2008 was a turning point we started producing some of our machines with lower DPI units for news papers and graphics on cardboard boxes for appliances and anything else.
I gave a proof print of a poster size to my Optomologist that was printed with high qualty unit. The entire Bible was printed on it. You needed a min 10X magnifyer glass to see the image of the texts. I told him to frame it for his office and see if anyone, superhuman could see anything.
I still see some very high quality brochures/books to promote their products like expensive watches et.......!
My eyesight is not 20/20 anymore so I gave up reading books. I used to read a lot! Kept my classic M/C, classic cars and boating mags though

 

[RiverDave]

If Playboy couldn't make it, I dunno how anyone else could..

The boating industry is 20 years (literally not figuratively) behind everyone else... but the future is digital whether we like it or not.

Here's a question of the day.. If you wanted to place a full page ad in a magazine, you get a static image and a tag line with some contact information.. That is 2500-5000 in a print mag..

For 5K... I can take you for a ride in that boat with video, show you how it comes on plane, how it turns, realistic top speeds and sell the dream..

It's impossible to compete, eventually the people in the marine industry will figure that out.

RD

 

[angiebaby]

. . . with the you tube taking over the world, many younger people just do not want to invest the time in actually reading a magazine.
It is a shame.

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." -Ray Bradbury

Kindle and audio are not the same. They can be changed, and they often are abridged. Once it is printed on paper and bound, it is there permanently. This is important when it comes to recording History. Just ask Orwell.

 

[angiebaby]

Those slap cards they peddle on Vegas corners are probably lucrative. Printing thousands at a time

Vagina trading cards?

 

[attitude]

Magazines, give me a print. I still have tons of boat mags.

Books, read me an audio book while I work. I’ve listened to 250-300 books in the last 10 years. I’d never been able to carve out enough free time to read them. Plus some of the readers do a great job if bringing story to life.

 

[Mandelon]

I am still annoyed that HotBoat took my subscription money than stopped printing magazines a month later. They knew. They had to.

 

[Bigbore500r]

I am still annoyed that HotBoat took my subscription money than stopped printing magazines a month later. They knew. They had to.

Who do they think they are, a custom boat builder?

 

[beaverretriever]

 

[parker guy]

I have sold paper for thirty plus years, Print is changing for sure. Is it dead no, its different. Post cards mailings are still beneficial to draw you to the web site or get you interested. Magazine still make you look at web sites for cloths or shopping. It’s been a good industry for sure.

 

[2Driver]

Grocery stores still have a big section of magazines. Ive wondered if anyone buys them or do they just rotate them into the trash each month.

 

[Sportin' Wood]

If Playboy couldn't make it, I dunno how anyone else could..

The boating industry is 20 years (literally not figuratively) behind everyone else... but the future is digital whether we like it or not.

Here's a question of the day.. If you wanted to place a full page ad in a magazine, you get a static image and a tag line with some contact information.. That is 2500-5000 in a print mag..

For 5K... I can take you for a ride in that boat with video, show you how it comes on plane, how it turns, realistic top speeds and sell the dream..

It's impossible to compete, eventually the people in the marine industry will figure that out.

RD

If I recall, Playboy committed suicide by stopping nude photos.

In so far as the digital experience, As a potential ad buyer, I can do the same thing for free with my cell phone, why should I use you? I think that is the challenge with digital. I'm not confident you can build a financially viable business plan when everyone thinks they can do the same themselves. I could film that with my iPhone, edit in minutes with my iPhone and use the $5000 on PPC ads. I'm not saying I WOULD do that, I'm saying I COULD and I think that makes selling digital much more difficult.

I'm not confident the pivot is as easy as adding a digital subscription model. That just seems a race to the bottom. Shuddering is an option. I talked to different person today between my daily activities who did exactly that with his business and he was satisfied with that outcome. I turned over a few rocks and found a couple examples of Boomer owned businesses that don't have good exit strategies. I might have tripped over a the side hustle I was looking for.

Grocery stores still have a big section of magazines. Ive wondered if anyone buys them or do they just rotate them into the trash each month.

I think that is gonna be changing. They are struggling with sales since the inflation spike.

 

[Floaterboat]

If I recall, Playboy committed suicide by stopping nude photos.

In so far as the digital experience, As a potential ad buyer, I can do the same thing for free with my cell phone, why should I use you? I think that is the challenge with digital. I'm not confident you can build a financially viable business plan when everyone thinks they can do the same themselves. I could film that with my iPhone, edit in minutes with my iPhone and use the $5000 on PPC ads. I'm not saying I WOULD do that, I'm saying I COULD and I think that makes selling digital much more difficult.

I'm not confident the pivot is as easy as adding a digital subscription model. That just seems a race to the bottom. Shuddering is an option. I talked to different person today between my daily activities who did exactly that with his business and he was satisfied with that outcome. I turned over a few rocks and found a couple examples of Boomer owned businesses that don't have good exit strategies. I might have tripped over a the side hustle I was looking for.


I think that is gonna be changing. They are struggling with sales since the inflation spike.

You are spot on. Print ads for $5k are 20 years ago, and spending $5k for a high production value video is 10 years ago.

If you didn’t shoot a 1 minute spot and edit it in your phone in an hour someone else will and drop it on some digital short format to a wide audience.

As stated above, niche and high end print is stronger than it’s ever been. I have a buddy that sells the custom photo album machines. The kind that make the nice wedding album books, etc. We had this conversation about 8-9 years ago. His business has done nothing but go up the last 10 years.

 

[Flyinbowtie]

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." -Ray Bradbury

Kindle and audio are not the same. They can be changed, and they often are abridged. Once it is printed on paper and bound, it is there permanently. This is important when it comes to recording History. Just ask Orwell.

I could not agree more, and this is part of the justification for why, when we started into the grandparent role, I hunted around and bought several different complete sets of encyclopedias...one is a Britannica from 1968...(Apollo 11) and a couple from the late 1950's...and a complete world book printed in 1971 with all the "Year Books" through 1998 I think. To learn from history you must first be able to access it, as you pointed out.

 

[jetboatperformance]

I'm still stunned at Mc Master Carr catalogs (humogus) and Uline sends me a catalog every order which immediatley goes in the trash , on the other hand I get Outdoor mags for guns , fishing etc constantly and do not have a subscription that I know of

 

[Fastech382]

The only thing I print anymore are info cards for product packaging. We actually did without for awhile but went back to them mainly because our customers found them helpful. I direct them to a specific landing page for each product. Helps a bit with retention. We sell a somewhat complicated product and if people can use it and go directly to our site versus YouTube or someone else's site and get bad info, it reduces customer service inquires which makes the team more efficient.

 

[whiteworks]

I really can’t remember the last time I purchased a magazine or newspaper. Sometimes when I fly I’ll buy something at the airport book store. That being said I don’t really have much interest online content either these days, sorta burned out on it all

Now my kid on the other hand has a massive book collection and will spend hours in a book store picking out her next read. She loves printed books, actually goes through and tabs them for reference and will go back and read sections

 

[monkeyswrench]

I could not agree more, and this is part of the justification for why, when we started into the grandparent role, I hunted around and bought several different complete sets of encyclopedias...one is a Britannica from 1968...(Apollo 11) and a couple from the late 1950's...and a complete world book printed in 1971 with all the "Year Books" through 1998 I think. To learn from history you must first be able to access it, as you pointed out.

World Book Encyclopedia set is how I did all my reports in school. The set was purchased in 77 for my parents by my great aunt and uncle. She was an ER nurse, he was a structural engineer. I think they figured my parents had no schooling, their kids were going to need them.

As a kid, I looked forward to getting the new year books. When Mom died, and brother and I were cleaning out the house, he was going to throw them out. I boxed them up, and they moved out here with me. Over the years, I've also managed to collect book sets on WWII and the Civil War. Here and there, I've picked up, library books mostly, some American and European literature as well. Everything from old trades to fiction.

The best part, at times my kids will pick one up and read them, even occasionally sighting them in school work.

 

[Desert Whaler]