Cloud Computing Journal

HP announced that Wikia, the company that brings together millions of people to create and discover engaging content on every topic, will offer print-on-demand services to its communities through MagCloud, an HP cloud service that automates magazine publishing.

The collaboration between HP and Wikia will allow fans, aspiring publishers and writers of all types to create magazines based on the high-quality content and images created by Wikia’s more than 50,000 communities.

“By teaming with Wikia, HP is bringing some of the richest community content on the web to life in a glossy magazine format,” said Andrew Bolwell, director, New Business Initiatives, HP. “Thanks to HP’s MagCloud, Wikia’s passionate communities of readers will be able to enjoy information on their favorite bands, hobbies, comic books and more in a tangible print format that is both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.”

To publish a glossy, full-color magazine for friends, the coffee table or mass distribution, Wikia users select the content and cover page, and then order their request through MagCloud. For example, a Wikia user could create a custom magazine with original content found in wikis about Lady Gaga, vintage dress patterns and cooking.

“Wikia and MagCloud are the perfect match to marry compelling online content with a rich print experience,” said Jimmy Wales, co-founder, Wikia. “With millions of freely available and relevant articles written by dedicated communities, Wikia broadly covers thousands of topics, from Marvel comic book characters to ABC Television’s popular drama ‘Lost.’ We believe that Wikia’s communities will use the MagCloud printing service to reach broader audiences, and inspire people to engage in a new wave of magazine publishing 2.0.”

By using an on-demand publishing service model, HP eliminates the carrying costs, waste and inventory issues previously associated with magazine publishing, making it possible to publish content that was previously economically unviable to print. MagCloud’s printing process uses HP Indigo digital presses to produce full-bleed, magazine-quality publications.

MagCloud started as an incubation project in HP Labs, the company’s central research arm, to evaluate new, online marketplaces for buying and selling custom magazines with a print-on-demand delivery method. Since its launch in February, the service has presented a significant opportunity for brands and content publishers to build and extend their community reach using highly targeted print products.

In an increasingly digital world, HP is using Internet-based platforms to provide new business models and services to help customers capitalize on the industry’s shift toward cloud computing, a driving force behind HP’s "Everything as a Service" vision. With Everything as a Service, HP is striving to reshape the computing industry by creating more dynamic, user-friendly services that enrich everyday lives and improve how organizations do business.

In addition to its collaboration with Wikia, HP announced that BookPrep, another cloud service derived from HP Labs that enables on-demand printing of books, will make more than 500,000 rare or out-of-print books available for sale through a collaboration with the University of Michigan Library. More information on HP BookPrep is available at www.hp.com/idealab/us/en/bookprep.html.

The new MagCloud-enabled custom printing service for Wikia communities is immediately available.

• Hear more from Jimmy Wales about Wikia’s use of MagCloud on his blog.
• More information about how Wikia users access MagCloud is available at http://www.wikia.com/wiki/MagCloud.
• Keep up to date on the latest news and developments from MagCloud through the MagCloud blog.
• Follow HP MagCloud’s activities on Twitter @MagCloud.
• Become a fan of MagCloud on Facebook for access to exclusive content.