For users of the DIgimarc Online Services Portal to enable interactive printed images.

As you get artwork ready for watermarking and a pressrun you have ask "How do I know it'll work"? 

There are 3 items/interactions that effect the readability of your watermarked image when it is printed:

1. How well can the reading device that your user has "see" the watermark, including in low light?
2. Image reproduction e.g. how good is you press at reproducing your artwork?
3. Did you watermark your artwork/image effectively for it's size, color space and type of image?

The good news is that all 3 of these can be determined with smartphone and a good proof.

Nellymoser recently published a new study describing how magazines are using print-to-mobile technologies.  I’ve listed some highlights below.

In 2012, there were 8,448 mobile activations printed in the calendar year in the Top 100 Magazines.

• 82% on Ads (6,962)
• 18% on Edit (1,486)

These are the top Mobile Response Codes in the Top 100 Magazines.

Here’s the Post Scan experiences in the Top 100 Magazines.

Everyone loves to win.  I’m guessing most of you are like me and have no shot of winning your March Madness bracket.  So, let’s Ring in Spring by tossing those brackets and grabbing the April issue of HGTV Magazine.  Not only does the latest issue of HGTV Magazine feature this week’s Scan of the Week, but it also includes 30 different chances to win.  HGTV Magazine has a two page spread (pg. 138 and 139) promoting the 30 Days of Giveaways.  Every day in April readers have a chance to win daily prizes by scanning the watermark (using the Digimarc Discover app).  Some of the great prizes include a HGTV Magazine Garden Tool Kit, Singer One sewing machine and the grand prize: a professional spring cleaning of your home.   Good luck!   

Last week Rolling Stone magazine used Digimarc Discover digital watermarking at their Rock Room event in Austin, Texas. The SXSW party, sponsored by Maker's Mark, included three watermarked banners featuring recent Rolling Stone covers from Jimmy Fallon, Breaking Bad and Metallica. After scanning each cover, attendees could see video footage from the photo-shoot. 

Since it was a Rolling Stone event, attendees were also treated to some amazing music from Fitz and The Tantrums, Free Energy, Charles Bradley and others. 

Thanks Rolling Stone, Maker’s Mark and all the incredible Rock Room performances!

Let’s get one thing straight — I am not bashing QR Codes. There are times when using QR codes work extremely well and produce great results. However, no one should use multiple QR codes on any editorial or advertising page. Using multiple QR codes on a page is distracting to the reader, takes away valuable real estate and will infuriate any art director since QR codes (not the editorial/advertising content) is now the focal point on the page.  Instead of placing multiple QR codes on a page, I would recommend using digital watermarking similar to how Coastal Living recently implemented our technology.

In their February issue, Coastal Living placed 8 watermarks on a page. Readers can scan the photos and vote on their favorite coastal town. Additionally, Coastal Living is using Digimarc's Pop-up Label Overlays to ensure people are voting for their favorite coastal town. After scanning, text appears on the phone and users can click on the text to vote.

Now imagine how this page would look with 8 QR codes. (If your stomach is churning, you are correctly envisioning this example.)

Am I biased? Absolutely. But how can you dispute that Digital Watermarking is the most elegant solution for making print interactive? If you disagree, let me know. matthew.szerencse@digimarc.com

This week Digimarc released the Digital Watermarks in Magazines: 2012 Traction Report. The report is filled with great nuggets of information like:

• The number of digital watermarks placed in magazine editorial and advertising content grew by 486% from 2011 to 2012
• The number of magazine titles using digital watermarking grew by 300%, resulting in an addressable circulation of over 37 million readers
• Total scans of watermarked content in magazines grew to over 1.6 million

What have we learned?  For starters, people really enjoy shopping-related watermarked content.  Advertisers take note - Readers will scan if they have a strong incentive like compelling discounts, coupons, sweepstakes and anything free. 

To avoid any more spoilers, I encourage you to read the entire report.

Ah, the holidays. It’s that special time of year where you can overindulge with your family, friends, and food. From Thanksgiving to January 1st it's a holiday cook-off with everyone preparing their favorite secret recipes, gourmet cheeses, delectable chocolates and fancy adult beverages. Then, sometime during January, the music stops and you step back on the scale wondering what the heck happened. Thankfully, Cooking Light has a solution for your extra “holiday poundage” (and possibly your New Year’s Resolution). Cooking Light has watermarked every recipe in their January/February issue. There are a total of 79 scannable recipes in the issue ranging from Stir-Fried Lemongrass Chicken to Lemon Cornmeal Waffles with Raspberry Rhubarb Compote. What makes Cooking Light so satisfying is that I can save every recipe in the issue and make a customizable shopping list right from my mobile device using the Digimarc Discover app. After creating a myrecipes.com account, I can access recipes and shopping lists whenever it’s convenient for me.

Publishers, Brands and Agencies — Pay Attention.

The 100 year-old Good Housekeeping Seal is now interactive. The December issue of Good Housekeeping introduced the interactive Good Housekeeping Seal (made possible by digital watermarking). Readers in the December issue can scan the Seal using the Good Housekeeping Scanned, Sealed, and Delivered app and enter a sweepstakes. Not only did Good Housekeeping receive a major face-lift in its January issue by introducing a new cover, layout and content, but Good Housekeeping kept the good times rolling by including 19 different watermarked Seals on advertisements from brands like Whirlpool, Benjamin Moore, and Panasonic. After scanning the interactive Good Housekeeping Seal, you can enter 19 different sweepstakes from each advertiser.

If you're thinking, "Why does this matter to me?", let me share some insights on why the interactive Good Housekeeping Seal could impact your future publications, advertisements and brand messaging.

I recently came across an ad for Ho-Chunk Gaming in the November issue of Madison Magazine. Unlike some of the advertisers in Madison Magazine that used digital watermarking, Ho-Chunk Gaming placed a QR code on their ad.  Unfortunately for Ho-Chunk, the QR code on their ad doesn’t work.  As you can see below, it’s just too small to read.  The only way for me to read it was by enlarging the ad.  Consumers want instant gratification and won’t spend time magnifying the QR code on the ad.  Poor experiences like this are the reason people stop using new technologies – they don’t work well. 

I’ve heard from publishers and brands that QR codes are an eyesore, distracting and an inferior print-to-mobile technology. So, it’s not surprising that Ho-Chunk went with a smaller QR code.  Could this error have been fixed?  Absolutely.  Should someone at Ho-Chunk (or its agency) have tested the ad before it was finalized?  Most definitely.  Would Ho-Chunk been better served using digital watermarking?  Undeniably!  Since digital watermarks are imperceptible, Ho-Chunk would not have to worry about destroying the aesthetics on their creative with a larger QR code or icon.  If Ho-Chunk used digital watermarking like the other advertisers in Madison Magazine, they could have simply added the Madison Icon (shown below) onto their ad to indicate there’s watermarked content.

Digimarc Discover has been used throughout MyRecipes America's Favorite Cookbook. Just looking through the pages makes me hungry. Does drool on the page count as a watermark?

Holly Granger, food editor at MyRecipes.com does an incredible job explaining how Digimarc technology is used to enhance the cookery. Click on through to watch a video and see how.