2005 PUBLICATION PRINTING Outlook -- Readers Paying the Price

BY MARK SMITH

Technology Editor

It's only fitting that LIFE magazine should be a barometer for the vitality of the publication market. This de facto "canary in the coal mine" for the magazine publishing market recently had its third incarnation. What's significant about this latest go is that the magazine is now being distributed as a weekly newspaper insert, thereby avoiding subscription and mailing cost issues.