Every publisher I talk to is thinking about it. Postage goes up in January, paper isn't getting cheaper, and posting copies abroad has become more awkward. Moving some readers from print to digital looks like an easy saving.
It can be. But the saving is only real if the readers stay, the advertisers still buy and the audit still shows a healthy figure. So before anyone gets an email saying "your magazine is going digital", it's worth knowing what you're starting from.
Why now
A few things have arrived at once.
Royal Mail's Magazine Subscription Mail prices go up on 4 January 2027, by about 9% on average, though the real figure depends on your weight band and service. We went through the numbers in magazine postage in January.
Overseas copies have their own problem. Since 1 July 2026, the EU has charged a flat €3 customs duty on low-value parcels sent in through its import scheme (IOSS), and the PPA described it as "temporary while EU countries negotiate a new customs regime". The PPA's September update adds a handling fee, collected from 1 November, with the amount set by the European Commission. If you post copies to EU readers, talk to your mailing house about what that now means per copy.
And the audit rules have moved too, which I'll come to.
Know who reads what
Start with the plain counts. For each title, how many readers get print only, digital only and both? Split them by paid, controlled and complimentary, and by UK and overseas.
If you can't get those numbers out of your system quickly, that's the first job. You can't plan a move you can't measure.
Then look at what readers actually do. A digital edition that's sent but never opened isn't a reader, whatever the circulation report says. Digital edition statistics (opens, time spent, pages viewed, links clicked) tell you whether the people you'd move are already reading on screen. If most of your overseas readers already open the digital edition every issue, they're a sensible group to start with. If they've never opened one, switching them off print is really cancelling them.
Know what each format costs you
Work out a cost per copy for each format, not just postage.
For print that's printing, paper, packing, postage, plus the cost of handling gone-aways and missed copies. For digital it's production, hosting and sending, which is mostly fixed. Moving a few hundred readers won't change your print bill much if your printer's price is mostly set-up, so check the run-length breaks with your printer before you count the saving.
For paid titles, also look at renewal rates by format. If print readers renew at a noticeably higher rate than digital-only readers, a format switch can cost more in lost renewals than it saves in postage. Our renewal rate calculator will help you compare the two.
Ask your advertisers before you ask your readers
On a controlled title, your readers aren't paying. Your advertisers are. Some of them buy print specifically, and they won't thank you for finding out from the next media pack that half the copies have become emails.
Talk to your biggest accounts first. Find out whether they value print, digital or simply reach, and whether they'd pay for things digital does better, such as live links and click figures. Then decide.
What your audit will show
This is where things have got easier. Since ABC's 2025 changes, the business magazine standards "treat print and digital copies equally". Print and digital copies sent to the same person can both be claimed, and certificates report how many individuals receive both formats, where that's known. Digital copies also no longer need a specific request unless the circulation category requires one.
That doesn't mean anything goes. You still have to show each digital copy was delivered, or that the reader was told the issue was available, and if you send by email, hard bounces are excluded. For controlled copies, the request and Terms of Control evidence still has to be under five years old, whichever format the reader gets.
There's also a new rule worth knowing. From periods ending December 2026, ABC's June 2026 standards update adds a table to the certificate when the number of print and digital issues differs, for example if you publish some issues digital-only. It shows the issues and average circulation for each format. ABC says it's there to show circulation "delivered through each format" more clearly. So if you drop a print issue or two, advertisers will see exactly what that did to your print average.
If you're audited by AAM (formerly BPA), it reports print reach and digital reach separately, so check its rules for your title before you move anyone.
Change the mix in steps
Once you have the numbers, a few practical points.
Start with a group, not the whole file. Overseas readers, or readers who already open every digital issue, are the obvious first group. Measure what happens before going further.
Offer, don't impose, where you can. Readers who choose digital tend to stay. Readers switched without being asked tend to complain, or quietly stop reading.
For paid subscribers, check the terms. If someone paid for print, changing what they get mid-term needs care. Offering digital for longer than the print term remaining, or a refund, is fairer than a straight swap. For consumer subscriptions, the new rules from 2027 matter here too; our guide to the subscription rules covers what changes.
Record the format change properly. Every reader's format, and the date it changed, should sit on their record. That's what your audit return, your media pack and your renewal reminders will all be built from.
Keep the digital send clean. Bounced emails are the digital version of gone-aways. Deal with them every issue, or your digital figure will be smaller than you think.
Where we fit in
In Avio, our subscription platform for larger publishers, print and digital schedules run from the same subscriber record, with separate print and digital gone-away flags. In Adeptis, our all-in-one platform for smaller publishers, each subscription is set as print or digital and sits on the same contact as any controlled circulation request. And if you'd like the digital edition made for you, our digital editions service builds it from your print PDFs and records each send against the reader.
If you're weighing up a change to your mix and want a second pair of eyes on the figures, get in touch.
Rob Sherwood is Managing Director of Adept Data Services. He has spent his career in subscriptions and circulation, at WDIS, Optima and CDS Global before founding Adept.