Variable Data Publishing (VDP) proof-of-concept puts a satellite photo of all 40,000 subscribers’ neighborhood on their individual copies of Reason magazine.

The [1] New York Times is carrying a [2] story about [3] Reason, the monthly Libertarian magazine. The June issue ofReason will arrive on subscribers’ doorsteps with a surprise on the cover: The subscriber’s house.

Reason, June 2004, showing a satellite photo of Editor In Chief Nick Gillespie’s house

The direct to subscriber copies of Reason will be customized for eachand every one of the 40,000 subscribers. Each recipient will see a cover illo that is a satellite photo of his neighborhood, with his house circled.

In the same issue, the Editor’s Note will be customized to the recipient with regard to comments addressing commuting time, educational attainment, and percentage of children living with grandparents—all information culled from Reason‘s subscriber database and other sources. Already some of the ads in Reason are customized to specific subscriber facts on file with the magazine.

Reason, with help from printer manufacturer [4] Xeikon and directmarketing firm [5] Entremedia, is demonstrating the power of digital printing. Without plates, every copy can be customized onpress. Plug a subscriber database into the workflow and every page ofevery copy of an issue can be fully customized for the particular subscriber.

As Nick Gillespie, editor in chief of Reason, said: “What if you received a magazine that only had stories and adsthat you were interested in and pertained to you? That would be a magazine that everyone would want to read.”

What information has your magazine on file about subscribers? To what use could yourmagazine put that information?