Men's Journal Makes A New Return to an Old Format

Men’s Journal announced today that it’s returning to print after a more than two year hiatus with a Summer Edition launching this month. It will also be a substantial relaunch, coming in at 100 pages, according to the press release.

Men’s Journal returns to print with a 100-page issue offering advice and aspiration to adventurers. | Credit: Men's Journal

“This issue strikes all the chords people know and love about Men’s Journal,” editor-in-chief Brittany Smith, says in the release. “It’s packed with utility, grit, and heart — with reviews on everything from a Marvel-approved adventure bike to grills to outdoor pizza ovens, and unfiltered stories of resilience that redefine strength.”

The media brand first published a print issue 33 years ago, but ceased publication in January 2023, opting for digital only media instead. According to the release, it was bringing in nearly 50 million monthly online readers with 8 million social media followers.

Earlier this year, we covered The Onion’s return to print for its iconic newspaper, a decision made in the effort to “restore The Onion to its former glory.”

While these are two of the most recent announcements from media brands that they would return to print after a move to a digital-only format, they’re not the only examples.

In 2024 alone, SAVEUR, Field & Stream, Ebony, Swimming World, and SPIN returned to print in some capacity — either regularly or with special or limited editions — with Playboy relaunching an inaugural yearly print edition in February of this year and Life launching a bi-weekly printed edition this year.

In the case of SAVEUR, editor-in-chief and owner Kat Craddock wrote to the audience that it would return to print in March 2024 after it ceased its printed publication during the pandemic.

“As you may know, SAVEUR's previous owners stopped publishing our regular print magazine back at the height of the pandemic,” she wrote. “For many of us, the loss was heartbreaking. Since the spring, our team has quietly been preparing the groundwork to give you a straight answer to your question, and here it is: Yes, print is coming back.”

It didn’t return to a printed monthly though. She noted that in starting the magazine essentially from scratch, there was an opportunity to rethink the printed model. Craddock pointed out that the “old-school, high-volume print model” was not sustainable for SAVEUR due to a change in circulation expectations and advertising revenues.

“In short, this means the print issues will cost a little more than they used to, but I guarantee it will be worth it,” she wrote. “We’ll publish only two issues next year, and both will receive the care and effort that previously went into a half-dozen slimmer issues. There will be limited print runs, reducing waste. We’re also simplifying our supply chain dramatically, pivoting to focus primarily on direct-to-reader sales through our website. Retail through brick-and-mortar stores will be selective; you probably won’t find the new SAVEUR at the supermarket or pharmacy — but you very well might spot a copy at your local independent bookstore, specialty food shop, or library.”

Another brand that put an end to its printed edition during the pandemic was Field & Stream, although it didn’t directly cite that was a reason for the decision. In January of last year, it announced it would return to print, with Colin Kearns noting in this Editor’s Journal article that he believed, “Maybe our readers would forget the printed format and might actually go for a digital magazine.”

He was wrong.

He shared feedback from a reader (only one of many he received in a similar vein):

Mr. Kearns. I am a longtime subscriber. I have zero interest in you replacing my printed magazine with a digital version. I spend all day on computers and smartphones. When the work day is finally over, I will grab one of my old issues and sit quietly and read a magazine I can physically hold. I love seeing the magazine in my mailbox when it arrives. I don’t want to sit at a computer to read a magazine.

What Does this All Mean?

Printed products feel luxurious amid digital fatigue and rising costs, something Marco Boer, vice president of I.T. Strategies, shared at this year’s Inkjet Summit:

"We are going to see rising costs. The good news, in a way, for us on the digital printing side of the house, is that we are moving from what used to be really a commodity product print to a luxury product. You're only going to print what you need when you need it, and you're going to be willing to pay for that."

Take, for example, Hudson Printing, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based PSP that used digital technology to add silver foil to the cover of Sotheby’s bi-annual magazine, something the brand hadn’t considered previously but gave the issue a premium more feel.

Yes, circulation and printed editions are down for many media brands, but that creates an opportunity for print service providers (PSP) to work with media brands to make sure the printed products they do produce have a bigger impact.