In the 1980s many newspapers were developing their copy using a cut and paste technique. Obviously this was an improvement over typeset, but still time consuming. As desktop publishing came to prominence newspapers began to be developed on a computer and sent electronically to have a film made of the copy for print.
Darkrooms were replaced as digital cameras gained wide acceptance. Now virtually all the functions of a newspaper (except for some of the interviews and photos) can be accomplished while sitting in front of a computer.
This change in function also allowed thousands of home-based publishing businesses to develop using the same software and contracting with the local or regional newspaper to print their publication.
In this story of falling dominos some home-based publishers opted for either an online ezine that operated in tandem with the print version or in other cases it was established in place of a print edition.
These early endeavors into online print helped establish the marketing form of ezine publications. These online electronic magazines generally provide a topic specific magazine that draws from multiple sources to complete a...