A UK-based startup called PaperLater has taken the idea of read-it-later services like Instapaper, Pocket and Readability and added a unique twist: the ability to read the saved content in a physical, printed publication.
Like read-it-later applications, PaperLater lets users save content using a web browser plug-in. This content is then packaged into a personalised newspaper and mailed to the user.
Users need to fill a minimum of eight pages (or a maximum of 24) before they can request that a paper be printed and sent to them. PaperLater uses 55gsm newsprint for its papers, which is slightly thicker than regular newsprint.
The front page of each PaperLater newspaper includes detail on the number of articles in it, the total word count and that particular collection of articles’ most obscure words. It’s unclear whether or not future newspapers will see these details change – say, for the most common words or how many articles are more than 500 words or other interesting data unique to the issue – but it’s an inspired touch either way.
The company behind PaperLater is Newspaper Club. Founded in 2009, Newspaper Club lets people create and print their own newspapers. The company has printed more than 5 000 000 customised papers since its launch.
Like other read-it-later services, PaperLater works best for online articles, blog posts, or other text-heavy webpages. It won’t handle image galleries, slideshows or PDFs, though.
Who says print is dead?