2006: The Year of Personalization in Print

I predict that 2006 will be the Year of Personalization in Print, especially for periodical publishers. This includes both magazine and newspapers. Why? Several reasons.

First, there now exists many tools for print designers to incorporate variable data printing (VDP) elements into their page layouts. The two popular industry page layout programs, Quark Express and Adobe InDesign, both have numerous plug-ins that make VDP easy.

Adobe made headlines in 2004 during Graph Expo by establishing a VDP resource page online here. This website is the place to go if you want to test drive and learn about VDP applications for print publishing. But that's not all.

TrendWatch Graphic Arts survey results indicate in Winter 2004/2005, 19% of creative firms said that their variable-data printing jobs have increased either a little or a lot in the past 12 months. More designers are creating variable data printing projects.

Secondly, A handful of pioneering magazine publications already personalize a portion of their pages for subscribers and clients. Home By Design Magazine is one that does this already. A sister publication, Life By Design Magazine, does the same thing. More magazine publishers will develop hybrid titles that blend digital cover pages with offset body pages and allow their clients to personalize and customize editorial and advertising for their target audiences.

Two entrepreneurs in Germany are panning to launch a personalized newspaper in January 2006. More are on the horizon. including my own project, Internet Webpages Newspaper.

Last, web-fed, digital color printing is on the rise. Xeikon and Kodak Versamark are two of the only digital press manufacturers suited for high-speed variable data printing, when it comes to magazines and newspapers.

Kodak Versamark (photo) recently announced a Newspaper Publishing System at a major industry trade show for the press.

Seems like 2006 will be the Year of Personalization in Print. Finally.