Print Magazines Are Coming Back From The Dead

Print magazines, seemingly left for dead by the digital revolution, are quietly staging a comeback.

Once upon a golden era (around 2007 to be precise), print magazines raked in a whopping $19.5 billion in advertising revenue.

Then digital barged in, gobbling up our attention spans, one notification at a time. Magazines started folding faster than a deck chair in a storm, or shifted entirely online to chase the click-bait rainbow.

But plot twist—like vinyl records, film cameras, and your local indie bookshop, magazine printing is suddenly trendy again.

No, this isn’t just nostalgia. Established brands like Nylon, Life, and even satirical darling The Onion are returning to print, alongside digital-first trailblazers like The Cut.

And it’s not just the hipster revivalists driving this renaissance, legacy giants like Vogue, The New Yorker, and Architectural Digest have managed to sustain (and even slightly grow) their fiercely loyal readerships.

The thing is, print magazines aren’t aiming to dominate the mass market anymore. That era’s sailed. Instead, they’re leaning into their strengths: tactile luxury, niche interests, and deep dives that don’t fade in your browser tabs.

Publishers have wised up, focusing on fewer, richer, and more visually stunning issues rather than chasing endless digital eyeballs.

Think quarterly or biannual editions packed with gorgeous photography and articles that actually take more than two minutes to skim.

This new wave of print isn’t about volume; it’s about value.

The readers are fewer but fiercely committed—and advertisers love it. A glossy spread in a well-curated mag offers more bang-for-the-buck than a pop-up ad lost in a digital abyss. Just ask Costco—its print magazine, Costco Connection, boasts over 15 million readers monthly. Yes, Costco.

Experts argue it’s partly a rebellion against “digital fatigue”—thanks, pandemic—and partly due to Gen Z’s obsession with all things analogue.

Nearly 60 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds still read printed magazines. With screen fatigue becoming all too real, flipping through a glossy magazine can feel like a breath of fresh air.

There’s undeniable charm in flipping through physical pages without a stream of DMs sliding into your periphery.

In a world full of pop-ups and pings, print offers a rare kind of peace. No notifications, no hyperlinks, no doomscrolling. Just you and the page. And studies back this up: people tend to absorb and retain more when reading from paper rather than screens. It’s a deeper, more deliberate engagement.

Plus, as there’s simply a “tactile pleasure” in print that no screen can mimic.

Holding a printed magazine is a sensory experience. The weight, the paper stock, even the smell of fresh ink all adds to the ritual. Print carries a quiet authority. Perhaps it’s the editing rigour or the permanence of print that gives it that added layer of credibility.

Sure, print isn’t reclaiming its throne as king of all media anytime soon. For every revived NME or Swimming World, another digital outlet like Buzzfeed or Jezebel hits turbulence. The landscape is shifting, but it’s also becoming clearer: print has found its niche. And in a world of endless scrolling and superficial skimming, perhaps that’s exactly what readers—and advertisers—are craving.

So, print isn’t dead. It’s just more discerning, more luxurious, and frankly, cooler than ever.

So… is print right for you?

Know your audience

Are they lovers of craft, design, and a slower reading experience? Print could be the way to go. Or do they crave quick access, clickable content, and on-the-go convenience? Then digital might be the better fit.

Consider your content

Certain topics naturally shine in print such as luxury fashion, high-end interiors, and lifestyle features. Others like tech updates, business insights, or current affairs often feel more at home in a digital format where content can stay nimble and current.

Research shows that over a quarter of readers (27 percent) view print as more trustworthy than digital, and that number’s actually increasing. If trust is part of your brand’s currency, print may give you a subtle edge.