web-to-print from drupa to Haymarket

Tomorrow there will be a webcast from Printweek all about web-to-print. Chaired by Matt Whipp, the editor of Printweek.com.

So the Web is now seen as something in the service of print. It can result in orders for service providers and is also part of the publishing mix. How very sensible, but it seems to have taken rather a long time to reach this level of acceptance.

Reports from drupa earlier this year did not emphaise the web-to-print claims coming from the innovation parc. There is still an interest in the big metal machinery. Perhaps in the context of 500 years of more or less the same approach a few months is not of much weight. There is still time for 2008 to be recorded as the "web-to-print" drupa. See OhmyNews for example. "I stand by my story" says blogger.

I think the interesting aspect will be how far Haymarket moves towards the Web with titles other than Printweek. I still find the branding quite confusing. Brand Republic is a website but Revolution is a magazine in print like Marketing, direct mail and various other words. Eventually there could be an online brand that is recognised directly from promotional print.

On 5 December there was a Printweek interview with Felix Dennis of Butler, Tanner and Dennis. He was asked if print will be around for another 100 years? He avoided a direct answer but if the question is about whether the Web is now part of the mix the answer is probably yes. A Printweek webcast is as close as needs be to a defining event.