Lucy Penn, Chief Revenue Officer, PageSuite
For decades, publishing was defined by print. Deadlines were fixed, presses were expensive, and distribution was physical. While that model built some of the world’s most trusted news brands, it also imposed rigid constraints on creativity, speed, and sustainability.
Over the last 15 years, publishers have been navigating a steady but significant transformation: moving from print-first operations to digital-led strategies. This shift hasn’t been linear, nor has it been without its challenges. But it has fundamentally changed what an “edition” can be – and what it needs to be – for modern audiences.
Phase One: Replicating Print in a Digital World
When publishers first embraced digital, the goal was simple: preserve the print experience online. Replica editions – digital versions of the printed newspaper or magazine – became the most natural starting point.
These editions allowed publishers to:
- Maintain familiar layouts and design principles
- Extend the lifespan of print workflows
- Serve loyal readers who valued the traditional format
Replica editions played (and still play) an important role, particularly for audiences who appreciate the curated, finite nature of a daily or weekly edition. But over time, limitations became clear.
Print deadlines – often set hours before publication – meant stories were locked in early. Late-breaking news, updated data, or evolving narratives around sports or politics, for example, couldn’t easily be reflected. And as printing and distribution costs continued to rise, the financial pressure on print-heavy operations intensified.
As digital consumption habits evolved, readers began to expect something different. News was no longer static. It was continuous, personalised, and available on demand.
Publishers faced a growing tension:
- Cost pressures from printing, paper, and distribution
- Early deadlines that restricted editorial agility
- Audience expectations for timely, mobile-first content
For some organisations, these challenges prompted difficult but necessary decisions – reducing print frequency, launching digital-only editions, or, in some cases, transitioning away from print entirely.
The question wasn’t just how to go digital, but what kind of digital experience would best serve both publishers and readers.
Phase Two: Feed-Based Editions and Flexible Publishing
This is where a new concept began to take shape: editions built not from static layouts, but from live content feeds.
Feed-based digital editions enable publishers to curate content dynamically – pulling from existing CMS feeds, topic streams, or breaking news workflows. Instead of recreating print pages, editors can assemble editions that reflect what’s happening now, while still retaining a sense of structure and narrative flow.
These editions offer several advantages:
- Faster production cycles
- Reduced dependency on print schedules
- The ability to launch special or pop-up editions
Importantly, feed-driven editions don’t have to abandon editorial intent. They simply shift the focus from page-based constraints to story-led curation.
For publishers experimenting with reduced print runs or digital-only products, this approach has become a practical bridge between tradition and innovation.
Phase Three: Enter AI Automation With Editorial Intelligence
As digital editions become more flexible, another question naturally arises: how can publishers scale without sacrificing quality?
This is where AI is beginning to play a meaningful role, not as a replacement for editorial judgment, but as an enabler of efficiency and consistency.
Modern AI tools can now:
- Automatically generate editions from content feeds
- Apply predefined rules around story hierarchy and placement
- Adapt layouts for different articles, devices and formats
What we’ve been focused on is how AI can be trained to learn from print design itself. By training an AI model on actual print pages and their metadata, we can create multiple templates that reflect long-established layout principles, AI-generated editions can retain the visual discipline and balance readers associate with print – while benefiting from the speed and adaptability of digital.
The result is a new kind of edition: one that is intelligently structured and visually familiar.
Across the industry, the definition of an “edition” is evolving.
It’s no longer just a snapshot in time. It’s a living product – capable of adapting to breaking news, audience behaviour, and operational realities.
For publishers, this evolution opens up new possibilities:
- More sustainable publishing models
- Better alignment between editorial and digital teams
- Greater responsiveness to reader needs
And for readers, it means editions that feel both curated and current, designed for the way news is consumed today, not the way it was printed yesterday.
Many publishers are already deep into this transition, exploring how digital-first editions can replace or complement print without losing identity or trust.
At the upcoming Mather Symposium, we’ll be joined by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution who will discuss their own journey as they navigate the shift from print to digital – and the lessons learned so far. Their experience highlights both the challenges and opportunities that come with rethinking editions in a digital-first world.
As the industry continues to evolve, one thing is clear: the future of publishing isn’t about choosing between print and digital. It’s about building smarter, more flexible editions that respect editorial heritage while embracing modern technology.
If you’re attending the 2026 Mather Symposium later this month, please look out for the PageSuite team, including Greg Branson and Charlotte Parker, who will be pleased to update you on our latest innovations. Alternatively, you can read more on www.pagesuite.com or email hello@pagesuite.com if you have any further questions.