Press Release: Blurb Adds MagCloud, an On-Demand Magazine and Digital Publishing Business, to Its Portfolio

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blurb, the indie book publishing platform, today announced that MagCloud, HP's web-based publishing platform, will become part of Blurb under a licensing agreement between the companies. The move allows current MagCloud customers access to Blurb's full line of print and digital products for magazines and books, and shows Blurb's commitment to taking indie publishing beyond the book into the burgeoning world of indie magazines.

Under the agreement, all operational functions have been transitioned to Blurb, and MagCloud customers will see no change during a planned transition period expected to last approximately three months. During this time, customers will have the opportunity to integrate their magazines into the Blurb platform. Blurb expects to fully transition MagCloud customers and their supported projects to blurb.com within six months.

This licensing agreement is a natural one given both brands' focus on enabling creative individuals to produce quality products that reflect the power of their work - both in print and ebook form. Working together is nothing new for Blurb and HP. HP's MagCloud, invented by HP Labs in 2008, created a network of users publishing magazines on-demand using HP Indigo commercial printing presses. Blurb's global print-on-demand network is also based on HP Indigo printing presses.

"Blurb and HP have a longstanding relationship dating back to the origin of Blurb in 2006, so the foundation exists to make this transition successful," said Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO, Blurb. "Further to the relationship however, the magazine at this moment in time represents the perfect intersection of technology, culture, and media: Beautifully designed short-form reading, with multiple contributors, in print, and as an ebook. In this context, the magazine as a genre is very strategic for Blurb. Indie magazines are experiencing a bit of a renaissance, and we're thrilled to welcome MagCloud customers to the Blurb fold."