Sappi is the leading European producer of coated fine paper used in magazines, catalogues, books and high-end print advertising. The Belgium-based company has come up with some really cool examples of print AR by augmenting it’s promotional magazine, What’s Next, with Layar.

“At its heart, the purpose of What’s Next Magazine is to show publishers what they can do to add texture and depth to their publications, through paper choice in particular,” says Sappi.

For this edition of What’s Next, Sappi has turned to Layar to show how publishers can enhance their print products. And we’re really impressed at what they created using Layar.

Pages can be scanned with Layar to make the reading the magazine a one-of-a-kind experience. Our favorite addition has to be the translation feature. Articles in one language can be translated to another, and vice versa, suggesting the possibility to truly universal content in print magazines.

Readers can also view videos, follow links to websites and social media, and even fill out reader polls to instantly weigh in on topics. Now that’s a pretty cool and unique use of Layar!

“From a publisher’s perspective, the beauty of using this technology is that readers never stop reading their magazines,” says Sappi. “Scanning the Layar logo with a smartphone immediately brings the reader various forms of complementary content about the subject either in the form of an image, text or even a small movie. Not only that, the technology also enables publishers to provide additional product information for readers, as well as suggesting possible purchases through the app. No need to go to a website; the content appears on your smartphone.”

Have a look below at a video produced by Sappi to show off the new magazine and its Layar integration. And after the jump, give it a try yourself on some example pages from the magazine. You can vote in the poll and try out the text translation!

Read more »