Company news Magazines coming to a screen near you - Care of Pensord

Magazines coming to a screen near you - Care of Pensord

Magazines coming to a screen near you

In a move that might be seen by some as the printing equivalent of turkeys voting for Christmas, leading sheet-fed magazine printer Pensord is launching a Digital Editions service for publishers, offering them a whole new world of rich interactive media, and with it the opportunity to build their brands, increase revenue and grow circulation.

At Pensord, Digital Editions has finally come of age. In more recent times the technology to produce more sophisticated and engaging Digital Editions has been developing rapidly, and just as importantly the availability of bandwidth to move this data around has increased alongside it. This has presented Pensord with the opportunity to provide this new and innovative technology to a range of publishers, including the smaller, independent publishers who make up the core of Pensord’s customer base.

Pensord has always prided itself on its enlightened approach to printing. By embracing Digital Editions, Pensord is offering publishers an additional route to market, to be able to build brand, add value to advertisers, enhance the reader’s experience, and therefore increase loyalty or even attract new subscribers. This, they are convinced, will provide publishers with the opportunity to increase revenues and/or grow circulation.

Once the decision was made to provide a Digital Editions service, Pensord set out to find the best possible way to deliver this to their customers. After exhaustive research, they have joined forces in a unique Strategic Collaboration with leading Digital Editions provider YUDU Media.  Pensord’s Commercial Director, Darren Coxon explains: “Digital Editions take-up is developing at a pace. As a printer you either grasp the opportunity with both hands, or bury your head in the sand. We see Digital Editions very much as complementary to print which is why we have investigated every possible way of providing this service. We have found an ideal collaborator in YUDU, who have the desired expertise, and share our vision for broadening publishers’ horizons.”

YUDU is at the forefront of this technology. Starting with simple page turning, it is now sophisticated enough to allow the reader to:

  • Zoom in on high resolution images and text without losing quality
  • Enjoy a more interactive reading experience with moving images and audio replacing the static printed image
  • Connect live to advertisers’ websites and email links
  • Offer more intuitive and qualified feedback to advertisers in the publication
  • Search current and archived editions, providing a useful resource to subscribers/readers

For publishers, the process is very simple and straightforward. The PDF provided to Pensord for print can be repurposed for production of a Digital Edition, a process that can take just minutes. This adaptation to Pensord’s workflow has removed the need to go through the production process all over again with another Digital Editions supplier – one relationship, one workflow and one invoice. The publisher then receives a URL which can be ‘distributed’ either by email or placed on their website for access by subscribers or the general viewing public.

Pensord has developed an innovative three tiered proposition for customers, to suit their budget and the level of sophistication required, with the highest spec allowing publishers to develop a full multi-media experience. All customers will be eligible to receive free entry level Digital Editions, with the option to upgrade free for three months to the multi-media package to see the potential for themselves. The company is also planning to stage a number of workshops to provide advice and guidance.

YUDU CEO and Chairman, Richard Stephenson said: “This is a terrific collaboration that marries the technologies and knowledge of print and digital, coming together to create a new offering for publishers that can only enhance their business. Pensord is a printer with a visionary approach to the publishing industry, and having seen the potential of digital editions, are not afraid to go wholeheartedly into new territory they know instinctively will be welcomed by publishers and good news for the future of the industry. We are delighted to be their partners in this venture.”

A key feature for publishers is the availability of comprehensive statistics on reader activity. These statistics will provide important information to enable the publisher to tailor their content accordingly, and also provide useful information to advertisers relating to physical views and ‘click-throughs’ to websites. The package also provides a superb platform for advertisers who can bring their products to life through audio and video that lifts the ad off the page.

Publishers can also disable or enable required functions so that subscription can be protected through password and individual computers’ IP addresses to prevent free circulation.

Pensord’s Chief Executive, Tony Jones said: “These are exciting times in publishing, and rather than seeing Digital Editions as competition to traditional ink on paper, we see this as a great innovation which we want to embrace to give publishers more choice. We see it as complementary to print, giving publishers more flexibility to arouse interest in the published products, and driving the potential to build sales of printed products. It enables small independent publishers to work with rich, interactive media, and across different platforms, with the potential to increase revenues and, where appropriate, grow circulation. We think that’s really exciting.”

For further informatiom please contact us or visit www.yudu.com