by Noel Ward, Executive Editor June 2, 2003 -- Having sat in the editor’s chair at several print-industry magazines and newsletters--most produced by smearing ink on dead trees--becoming the editor of a print-industry Web site is probably a natural segue for the Information Age. In a day when people are pressed for time and when knowledge can be a competitive advantage, more and more of us get our information from the unblinking screen of our computers. Whether it comes in via flash emails (Breaking News from CNN!), personalized home pages (Do You Yahoo?), or opt-in electronic newsletters, information influences much of what we do. But there are different kinds of information. There’s news, which gives us things to react to, think about, obsess over, worry about. There’s perspective, which helps put the news in some kind of context or provides new points of view. And there’s educational info, which helps us understand technology and markets, and provides ideas we can use in our jobs or businesses. Back when I was editor of Print on Demand Business magazine, I used to visit print shops around the country. I remember being told that PODB was different because it was not a printing magazine, but a business magazine that happened to be about printing. Publisher Paul White, my small team of writers and I looked at the news that was important, added perspective, and went to great lengths to inform people about the emerging world of digital on-demand printing and how it related to their businesses. We always tried to look at the technology with an eye to how a print provider could make money with it. The mission here at OnDemandJournal is really no different, even though some of the technologies have matured a bit and many of the promising new applications we covered in POBD are becoming mainstream. The world of print continues to change. Digital print is taking a growing share of pages from offset presses, while also generating millions of new pages. Digital color and variable data are on the verge of changing countless transactional and marketing documents. The Web is driving pages to print in print shops, offices and family rooms. And the changes keep coming faster. So here at ODJ we are going to keep pace with some of the motion and commotion. You’ll find news of new and changing technologies. There’ll be perspectives from industry writers, analysts, and executives from leading companies to help increase your understanding of key issues and how the industry works. We’re building a repository of case studies and white papers from leading vendors and analysts to provide some of the educational material you need to make the most knowledgeable decisions. And that’s just what we have in mind for the next few months while we get started. We’d love to hear what you like, don’t like, and most of all, what you need to see and hear to make On Demand Journal as useful to you and your business as possible. On demand digital printing is continuing to change the way printing is done. Join us as we play a part in making that happen.