If so, why?
Ask HN: Do you subscribe to print magazines anymore?
1–10 of 56 posts
Re: Ask HN: Do you subscribe to print magazines anymore?
#2There are a worthy few publications if they can be afforded (high end design, architecture, chronology, etc.)
A worth while mention out of print (truly inspirational and excellent quality production)
Modern Farmer
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Farmer_(magazine)
And if you have obtainium, there’s Jane’s Defense https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane's_Defence_Weekly
Re: Ask HN: Do you subscribe to print magazines anymore?
#3Ralph Nader is starting a new print only one https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34605482
Re: Ask HN: Do you subscribe to print magazines anymore?
#4Actual paper in hand print magazines, no.
traditional "print magazines" in digital form, yes. I love the magazines in Apple News. I still read Macworld, Wired and others. I think I read more magazines now because of Apple News. I don't have the room at home for dead tree media.
Re: Ask HN: Do you subscribe to print magazines anymore?
#5No, but I would if print magazines tried got with the times instead of running on fumes trying to compete with the pace of the internet.
The main issue I have is periodicity: for most magazines, a weekly frequency is way too much in this day and age. It creates clutter in the home, and editorially, it incentivizes the addition of filler and spam content. The New Yorker can do this because they sell a lot of ads and act as a guide to local events.
But I think Businessweek and The Economist could benefit from going twice-monthly. Nobody's going to their websites for instant news and analyses, so a slightly longer gap between issues could allow for their articles to take on a much greater depth and nuance.
Re: Ask HN: Do you subscribe to print magazines anymore?
#6Yes, I’ve been a print subscriber to Harper’s and The Atlantic for many years.
I find myself easily distracted reading any long form content on a screen. The temptation to check email or social media is strong.
I also prefer to read print materials when I am alone sitting at a coffee shop or a lunch counter or riding the train.
I feel more aware of my surroundings. People tend to engage me more, ask me what I’m reading etc. than if I have my face buried in my phone. It feels less antisocial.
The experience just feels qualitatively different. When I’m reading print, some part of my mind feels—in a pleasant way—that it is in the physical not digital world.
Re: Ask HN: Do you subscribe to print magazines anymore?
#7New Yorker but also digital
Re: Ask HN: Do you subscribe to print magazines anymore?
#8There's a few short story magazines that I wish I could subscribe to in print. Clarkesworld[1] for one example. Unfortunately, I doubt it would be profitable for them.
Re: Ask HN: Do you subscribe to print magazines anymore?
#9Yes, lots of them. I hate reading on the screen, enough that I own a color laser printer more or less just to print articles that I want to read that are online. But for the most part, I find articles in print magazines to be far superior over what is online: better moderated, more interesting, better written, etc. This probably isn't a complete list, but I pay for: THE NEW YORKER, BUSINESS WEEK, THE ATLANTIC, TIME, WIRED, MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW, HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW. I also take advantage of online content that my subscriptions provide. You'll note that none of those are computer related stuff; that I do get online, but that's in part because all of the print computer magazines I subscribed to went out of business.
Re: Ask HN: Do you subscribe to print magazines anymore?
#10I went for over a decade without any magazine subscriptions, then I kinda binged one night in 2021 and subscribed to a dozen or so that caught my interest. The majority I won't resubscribe to, but over the year or so I built up some good topical knowledge, and enjoyed checking out a lot of the small business/product ads.
I've ended up renewing: High Country News (monthly), Overland Journal (quarterly), and Backwoods Home (quarterly)