Guide to Print-on-Demand Magazines

By Sarah Harris

While newspapers are trending toward digital-only access, magazines still enjoy life as printed publications.

The main reason is that newspapers are a more practical information-communicating medium while magazines are geared toward interests and hobbies.

The joy of holding a magazine and leafing through its colorful pages is enough to keep readers seeking that experience — even if they could get the same content cheaper on a computer or tablet. This is good news if you want to create a magazine of your own.

Although magazine readership is lower today than it was before digital publications became widespread, enthusiasts ensure that magazine printers stay busy. But you might be worried that if you make your own magazine, you’ll end up with piles of unsold and unread copies sitting in a warehouse somewhere.

Print-on-demand magazines are the solution.

What Are Print-on-Demand Magazines?

Magazine printing on demand gives businesses, creatives and hobbyists the ability to put their vision to paper without having to worry about keeping an inventory. Printing on demand allows a printer to produce magazines only when customers order them. 

How Print-on-Demand Magazines Work

When you partner with a magazine printer, your digital storefront gets linked to its system.

Anytime someone orders a copy of your magazine, the printer makes one and ships it to them directly. This process bypasses retailers and other traditional channels. Instead of printing large batches at once, magazine printing on demand can provide whatever quantity you or your customers need.

Benefits of Print-on-Demand Magazines

For small operations interested in creating small runs of niche, low-volume magazines, partnering with Print Bind Ship is like having a personal printing partner.

While we can produce thousands of printed items and store them in our warehouses, print-on-demand has some huge advantages.

Cost Efficiency

Standard print runs come with a minimum production amount. Print-on-demand has no such minimum — you can print a single copy if you want. Print time is short, inventory is no longer necessary, and if any changes are needed, we can perform them on the fly.

Reduced Waste

Overprinting leaves you with unsold (and often unsellable) copies. This excess harms the environment by creating more trash and wasting valuable resources. Print Bind Ship has printing facilities worldwide, which means customers get copies of your magazine from the nearest printer, reducing fuel consumption for deliveries.

Flexibility and Customization

Because print-on-demand creates a copy of your magazine only when ordered, you’re free to make updates or modifications at any time.

Beyond correcting information or fixing typos, you can take advantage of this service to surprise customers by sending out personalized magazines bearing their names, incorporating regional words or phrases, or having the magazine translated into different languages.

Faster Turnaround Times

Normally, batches of magazines get printed and placed in storage. But with Print Bind Ship’s print-on-demand services, your magazine will head out for delivery as soon as it rolls off the printer.

Testing the Market

Printing magazines on demand with Print Bind Ship is a great way to lay the groundwork for larger orders. By putting out a small run of magazines, businesses can gauge interest to see whether their publications are likely to sell in higher numbers.

Print Quality

When you work with Print Bind Ship, you reap the benefits of the latest digital printing technology. These days, digital printing is nearly indistinguishable from traditional printing, but it costs far less. As such, you can get print-on-demand magazines that look just as good as any you might find on a news rack for a fraction of the investment.

How to Create a Print-on-Demand Magazine

Ready to take the plunge and have Print Bind Ship craft your special interest magazine? Here’s how to get started.

Define Your Magazine Concept

First, consider the subject of your magazine and who will be reading it. For example, if it’s for car enthusiasts, will you feature content on vintage European sports cars, trucks and off-roaders, souped-up hot rods or another type of vehicle? Narrowing down your target audience can help make your magazine stand out to prospective readers.

Content Creation

Magazines often contain a mixture of editorial elements, including product reviews, opinion pieces, industry news, how-to guides, interviews and letters to the editor. Determine which components are appropriate for your magazine and in what order they should appear.

If you plan to include advertisements, which can be a great way to help finance your publication, make sure you distribute them logically throughout your content.

Design and Layout

Pictures and graphics are among the main differentiators between magazines and newspapers. Your images must be attractive and carefully positioned to fit in with the text. If you have some design savvy, you can create your own layout or use a template, though you’ll get the best results by hiring a professional designer.

Choose a Print-on-Demand Service

With Print Bind Ship, your high-quality, beautifully printed magazines will get shipped within 24 hours of printing.

And because we’re a full-service third-party logistics provider (3PL), we can do more than craft your magazines. Our Mail Genius service allows you to include cool extras that will wow your customers, such as cool swag and handwritten, personalized notes.

For Print-On-Demand Magazines, Demand Print Bind Ship

Hobbyists and enthusiasts still love physical magazines, and you can fill a niche with customized, print-on-demand publications. With Print Bind Ship, you get reliable, high-quality printing guaranteed to impress.

Whether you need one copy or 1,000, Print Bind Ship can help you take your magazine idea from concept to commodity.

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