Can on-demand digital printing technology revitalize the traditional print media? I wanted to share two interesting uses of on-demand digital printing that I came across recently. They clearly exhibit the benefits of this technology and give insight as to what on-demand digital printing can do for the future of marketing and advertising.

Mine Magazine, the consumer-customized magazine printed on demand.

Earlier this year, Time Inc., and American Express Publishing (AEP) along with Lexus launched the first ever, totally consumer-customized magazine called Mine. I just received my first issue and it’s pretty neat. The 36-page magazine is filled with content tailored to my interests and personalized especially for me. To get Mine, I visited www.timecmg.com/mine and selected five magazine titles out of a pool of eight and I answered a few survey questions regarding my hobbies and entertainment preferences. Based on my selections and answers to the survey, the magazine is customized and personalized with my name, location and mentions of my interests. It is then mailed directly to me.

The other very exciting use of on-demand digital printing technology is the Espresso Book Machine. This giant ATM-looking printer can access thousands of books saved in digital format and can print any of them on demand within 5 minutes. Take a look at this video to understand why some are calling this “the biggest change for the literary world since Gutenberg invented the printing press more than 500 years ago and made the mass production of books possible.”

On-demand print technology offers many benefits for both the consumer and marketer. As described in a post on QuantumDigital’s Steve’s Blog, here are a few:

• The consumer gets the content they want, tailored to their interests and personalized specifically for them.
• On-demand digital printing, as compared to traditional offset printing processes, translates to a savings of money, resources and time.
• Digital printing allows the introduction of variable data that gives marketers the ability to personalized marketing messages for each individual recipient.
• On-demand digital printing can just as affordably print one, one hundred or thousands of pieces exactly when they’re needed. This virtually eliminates the need to stock inventory and reduces instances of waste.

Embracing on-demand print technology can really change the way marketers and consumers communicate with each other – the possibilities are endless.

How do you foresee this technology changing the print media landscape?