14.01.2025 / Frank Baier

Giving “new” life to books

Clever, digitally enhanced books, (board) games, puzzles or even boxes and packaging are giving rise to a new, modern world of entertainment and infotainment.

Today, digital features transform print products into entertaining leisure activities that foster creativity, into fascinating promotional tools for communication and advertising. Sometimes, additional trusted high-tech tools are used, or the print product is specially prepared during production to incorporate unique functional enhancements.

Audio-digital discoveries
Exciting, unsuspected and surprising experiences are guaranteed for readers with certain contents in books being “brought to life,” for example with an audio pen. Different contents in print children’s books and non-fiction books or classic game products such as board games or puzzles can also be enriched with audio features in this way. During print production, virtually invisible markings, often 2D codes, are applied to the image segments – and thanks to audio pens such as “Anybook”, “Bookii”, “Tellimero”, “Ting” or “Tiptoi” young school-aged children can even decipher them.

Content from the Internet
These audio pens all work in the same or similar ways: Software converts the contents into audio information. This also enables users to record and play back custom texts or sounds. Playing external sounds, music or language requires users to download files from the Internet via USB cable or Bluetooth – today, everyone has fast access to smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers. Often, files can be updated, removed or replaced with other contents. Ultimately, an audio pen works like the once popular MP3 player.

Publishers as technical pioneers
Audio-digital media sold mainly by publishers have been available on the bookselling and toy market for some 15 years. Providers emphasize that as learning tools, audio pens are used not only to convey knowledge in a fun way, but also to develop language skills and speech. Of course, using them requires you to use the dedicated publishing house products such as books, (board) games, puzzles or globes. The “Tiptoi” audio pen, for example, which Ravensburger says to have sold millions of, is now available for over 100 different publishing house products, meaning this doesn’t have to be a disadvantage.

Sound, light or even video
It is no longer just audio content being integrated into print products, but also light and video in addition to sound – whenever the goal is to attract attention and document something with a higher value. In the B2B segment, there are many different occasions with trade fair presentations, product launches, special event invitations or the like. Companies such as Audio Logo have specialized in this very demanding variant of corporate publishing: “Sound in Print,” “Light in Print,” and “Video in Print,” are what the experts call the solutions ordered by various sectors, from the automotive industry, to real estate, to pharmaceuticals. These are advertisements in unusual print formats enhanced with digital features – direct mailings or displays, packaging or publishing variants that often elicit strong responses from customers.



Innovative “VideoBook”
One of the most popular print products produced as a customized single item is the photobook. Individuals often want to preserve memories of weddings, vacations or birthdays, while companies use these publications to showcase product promotions or celebrate anniversaries. People are constantly taking pictures and videos using their smartphones. Several online portals offer the option to print QR codes in photobooks to bring these images to life via an app. But the print company memperience also shows that videos can be played back much more easily. For over a year, consumers have been able to order a “VideoBook” containing 16 to 40 pages (up to 72 pages soon) and a maximum of three custom video pages. Embedded between cardboard, these videos are automatically played on LCD IPS displays as you turn the pages. While a wireless inductive charging pad was previously provided to charge the video player, soon a classic USB port will become available as an option.

14.01.2025 Frank Baier Editor-in-Chief «Bindereport»