Teachers, Printers or Publishers? Relationships Between Academic Publishing Business Models and Academic Communities - Implications for Digital Printing

摘要

Education has always been one of the principal consumers of print media. Digital printing is increasingly being used at publishing units of higher education institutes around Europe an in USA. In this respect, academic publishing appears as a potential stakeholder for the application of digital printing technologies. Additionally, it seems that a new business model is formed, based mainly on positive acceptance of digital printing by University authorities. An area not yet widely investigated is the specific characteristics of academic publishing using digital printing and the relationships and interactions with the end-users of the academic communities. This paper discusses the various factors that affect the successful application, proper operation and integration of digital printing systems in the academic publishing business models such as the degree of awareness in academic communities of the possibilities for efficient support of education and research offered by digital printing. Finally the formation of a business model for the application of digital printing within academic communities is discussed.