With print magazines folding left and right, Hewlett-Packard has decided that it’s time for some D.I.Y. publishing.
H.P. has introduced a new web service called MagCloud, which allows users to upload their own magazines and order prints, for 20 cents a page. So far, MagCloud has published over 300 magazines, on topics ranging from Mormon painters to food photography. Although large printing presses can produce many more pages at a much lower price, MagCloud makes it cost-effective for independent publishers to print as many (or as few) copies as they need. “We’re not talking about replacing the Vanity Fairs of the world. But it’s a nifty idea for a vanity press that reminds me of the underground zines we had in the ’60s and ’70s,” said journalism professor Samir Husni. [NY Times]