Well, I may be leaving Penton just in time. On-demand printing has hit the publishing business. Hello, MagCloud.

Or then again, maybe not. A single issue of Windows IT Pro, published via MagCloud, would cost a subscriber $18.20! (84 pages, including front/back cover, at 20¢ per page and $1.40 shipping) And that’s with no markup/profit for the publisher.

Still, it’s a full color magazine, printed on an HP Indigo, so it is probably quite high quality. Full color, and I’m guessing that it’s printed on better paper than the toilet paper most magazines are printed on these days. (We can’t all be National Geographic)

Could be just the ticket for a quarterly journal or other high value publication. But for the low-budget ‘zine-type publisher, you’re still better off investing in a copy machine and a saddle stapler.