North Island Publishing Ltd. announces today that it will cease publication of Masthead magazine after 21 years of operation. The November / December 2008 edition currently in production will be the last issue produced by North Island. The company will also cease publication of MastheadOnline.com at a date to be announced.

“We are very proud of the service Masthead has provided the magazine industry over the years,” says North Island president Alexander Donald. “But the magazine has not been financially viable for several years now and structural changes in the market have created even more challenges. We’ve taken a decision to focus our company’s resources on other projects in our other markets.”

“We’ve tried several publishing models over the years but none worked well enough to keep the magazine going,” Donald adds. Attempts to find new owners for the magazine were unsuccessful.

The closure results in the loss of two full-time positions. Remaining staff members who worked part-time on Masthead will be reassigned to other duties.

“We want to thank the readers, writers, illustrators, photographers and advertisers who supported our efforts,” says Donald. “I especially want to thank current and past staff members who believed so much in the magazine and made it an institution in the industry. It is a sad day for us.”

North Island will continue to serve one group of Masthead readers—editorial art directors—through Design Edge Canada, a magazine and web site for the graphic design industry launched in 2006.

About North Island Publishing Ltd.:

North Island is an independent producer of magazines, web sites, email bulletins, trade shows and directories for the printing and graphic design industries. The company produces Graphic Monthly Canada, PrintCan.com, The Estimators’ and Buyers’ Guide and the Print World show for the printing industry. It produces Design Edge Canada, DesignEdgeCanada.com, Design Edge Express and the Design City show for the graphic design industry. The company is privately owned and has 22 employees at its office in Mississauga.

For more information please contact:
Alexander (Sandy) Donald, President
905-625-7070, ext. 230

Doug Bennet, Publisher
905-625-7070, ext. 233