Nils Enlund

The publishing industry is finally ridding itself of the yoke enforced by the the printing industry. At the same time, printers are liberated from the restrictions and demands made by the publishers. The old symbiotic bonds are being cut.

Publishing is the process of gathering, refining and making public information as well as of managing this process. Normally, the main objective is to reach the customers or target groups with the published information in a way that is as efficient, simple, economical, attractive and user-friendly as possible. Printing and physical distribution of the printed products used to be the way, and often the only way, to do this.

Today, traditional printing is still an efficient, economically viable publishing method, enjoying great customer demand. But alternative publishing and distribution channels are making inroads, complementing and, maybe in some cases, supplanting print. Among these channels are the World Wide Web, WAP telephones, CD-ROM, e-books, etc.

In a world having a multitude of alternative information channels, the customer is king. The customer chooses the delivery and presentation method that is most convenient, inexpensive, status-laden or fast. The choice may differ greatly between individuals and is also dependent on the social and geographical situation of the customer. In all different situations, the information must be delivered.

The key to successful publishing operations in this situation is the ability to adapt the information to be published to the different publishing methods, delivery channels and presentation devices. From the same database of contents (text, image, audio, video or multimedia), information products and services have to be efficiently produced to meet the needs and wishes of the customers, while maintaining high standards of quality and design.