Toronto, Canada (PRWEB) July 15, 2004
Canadian technology journal Graphic Exchange today released the world’s first interactive rich media digital magazine in Portable Document Format (PDF), a 58-page issue containing QuickTime videos, QuickTime VR (virtual reality), and hundreds of Web links.
The new on-screen edition, a collaboration between Graphic Exchange (http://www.gxo.com) and Toronto-based new media production company BC Pictures (http://www.bcpictures.com), has been designed both in shape and appearance to mirror the printed version, which is now published in a tabloid-width landscape format. The magazine also sports the abbreviated title “gX”, a move intended to harmonize the publication’s print and online identities.
“Crossover” editorial theme reflects cross-media initiative
With its theme of ‘Crossover—cross-media goes mainstream’, gX has also expanded its editorial mandate beyond “digital content creation for print, video and the Web” and into broader “digital lifestyle” themes. The Summer 2004 issue offers articles ranging from an interview with Canadian television host and magazine editor-in-chief Jeanne Beker to ‘DJ Culture’, an article digging deep into the digital music scene. The issue also explores online video technologies in ‘Building your own online TV station’, and profiles Pi Media, Canada’s largest digital content creation company. A Resources section catalogs a lengthy list of graphics-related websites, while ‘Scriptomania’ reviews the best in script fonts—a popular type category with Web designers and “scrapbookers”. Stories in the rich PDF edition are supplemented with video and other rich media.
“We have pioneered the use of new graphics technologies ever since we began publishing Graphic Exchange in 1991,” says gX publisher and editor-in-chief Dan Brill. “Our readership consists of creative professionals who are sophisticated technology users, so we felt that the time was right to take a radically different cross-media approach to the creation and delivery of pages for this audience. What we have is truly a twenty-first century publishing model—for both subscribers and advertisers, the new digital version is like a combination of TV and the Internet. Capitalizing on PDF 1.5’s ability to either embed or stream video and animations lets us bring our editorial to life, with rich media that emulates broadcast television—and we can even include commercials. For readers, Web links in every article add a whole new editorial dimension to explore, allowing them to instantly use a browser to dig deeper into any highlighted word.”
New print size and format complement full screen PDF pages
In paper form, gX pages are now close to 40% bigger than before and as wide as a tabloid, measuring almost 13” by 9-1/2 inches high.
Landscape orientation delivers two immediate benefits to readers and advertisers, according to the publisher. Not only can the magazine’s high quality color images and illustrations be presented in a larger, more pleasing visual style, but advertisers also get more space for the same cost. Ads in the PDF versions appear in the same position as in the printed version, with links built into each one to any Web page that the advertiser requests.
The cross-platform digital version of gX automatically launches in Adobe Reader (for either Windows or Mac) in “full-screen” mode, filling the viewer’s screen with the page. An elegant custom interface with pop-out table of contents and simple, easy-to-use navigation buttons lets users browse articles and rich media, while every advertiser has its own link from anywhere in the magazine. A help page is also included which covers system requirements, tips on optimum settings, and a quick FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions).
Publisher and PDF developer merge ideas to produce hybrid publication
The creation of this cross-media publishing format was a merger of ideas conceived by BC Pictures principal Bob Connolly and Graphic Exchange publisher Dan Brill.
“This PDF version of gX lets its audience enjoy an experience that’s better and richer than just through a browser,” says Connolly. “Since BC Pictures has had a close working relationship with Graphic Exchange for so long, we felt confident that we knew how to take the content in the magazine and re-create it in rich PDF. Although we have produced dozens of interactive rich media PDFs for our clients, this was probably the most demanding job we’ve done, especially when you consider that on screen we also had to match the magazine’s high requirements for crisp type and brilliant color.”
Sophisticated JavaScript and special programming to embed and stream high quality videos, 360-degree virtual reality tours, animated graphics, and slide shows directly into the document are among the numerous unique features which were specially written for the PDF versions by BC Pictures programming specialist Jason Lee.
“I’m looking forward to the next issue,” Lee remarks. “There’s so much more that we can put into a PDF, like built-in forms, Flash files, high quality music tracks, and even high definition full-screen videos—as we’re beginning to do for our major corporate clients in their PDF catalogs and brochures. So I expect the next gX will be even richer in content than this first issue.”
Technology convergence spawns multiple digital versions
According to Brill, the creation of the Graphic Exchange screen publication came about through the convergence of four important technology developments: the release of the new PDF 1.5 specification, which supports Adobe Reader 6; new personal computers, now routinely boasting multi-gigahertz processors; the widespread availability of low cost commercial broadband services, with download speeds up to five megabits per second or more; and vastly improved video compression codecs.
The premier issue of gX in rich PDF is now online and available for download. Although pages in all three versions look identical, rich media is handled differently in each:
• The complete 92MB embedded rich media version (PDF 1.5), which requires the new Adobe Reader 6 (available free from http://www.adobe.com) and Apple QuickTime 5 or later (available free from http://www.apple.com), contains fourteen individual QuickTime video clips and two QTVR virtual reality presentations, as well as a host of links to URLs for people, companies, places, terminology, sources, and topics that are mentioned in each article. This edition has all rich media built right into the file, meaning it can be viewed in its entirety without an active Internet connection. System requirements are Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows NT 4 with Service Pack 6, Windows 2000 with Service Pack 2, Windows XP Professional or Home Edition, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, or Macintosh OS X v10.2.2 or later.
• A scaled-down (13.6MB) PDF 1.5 version combines embedded rich media with high quality streaming videos, which are fed into the pages of the publication from the gX server. Software and system requirements for this version are the same as the embedded version, and access to rich media requires a high speed Internet connection.
• A basic PDF 1.3 version for Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 or 5 and Windows 98/95 or Macintosh OS 9 systems is also available. This compact 6.3MB edition does not include video (PDF 1.3 does not support rich media). However, custom programming created by BC Pictures allows even those using earlier versions of Acrobat Reader to click on interactive pages and go to online links via their browsers. Readers without high speed Internet services or those still on older systems and software (which includes many large corporate environments) will likely be most interested in this feature.
To download Graphic Exchange in PDF, go to http://www.gxo.com/download.php and click on the download instructions.
Copies of the print version are also available at a cost of US$ 9.95 (VISA accepted, mailing and handling costs included). Requests for gX in print may be e-mailed to mail@gxo.com or mailed to Graphic Exchange, 25 Elm Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4W 1M9 (please allow 10-14 days for delivery).
Media contacts
Dan Brill, Graphic Exchange
Telephone 416-961-1325, e-mail dan@gxo.com
Bob Connolly, BC Pictures
Telephone 416-521-7462, e-mail bob@bcpictures.com
Graphic Exchange (http://www.gxo.com), published quarterly in Toronto by Brill Communications Inc, is Canada’s only publication focused on digital content creation technologies. Founded in 1991, gX is the largest circulation publication in the Canadian graphics industry, and is read by over 40,000 creative and production professionals in book, magazine and newspaper publishing, commercial photography, graphic and web design, video and television production, direct marketing, advertising, software development, and printing.
BC Pictures (http://www.bcpictures.com) is a Toronto new media production company specializing in content creation for TV, CD-ROM, DVD, and the Internet in addition to website development and management, custom programming, and video production.
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Canadian magazine publisher releases world’s first interactive rich PDF edition with video, VR, animations and Web links
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