Impelsys Technology Powers Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Virtual Sampling Program

Enables HMH to radically revamp sampling efforts, cut costs and provide an improved experience for teachers and administrators

News provided by

Impelsys

Jan 26, 2010, 08:15 ET

NEW YORK and BOSTON, Jan. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Houghton Mifflin Harcourt , a global education leader and the world's largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K–12 schools, has selected Impelsys, a global leader in electronic content delivery solutions, to power its new virtual sampling program. By offering an alternative to traditional print product samples, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt enables teachers and administrators to access samples and information anytime, anywhere, allowing them to make informed decisions for students and curricula.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt was the first education publisher to pilot the new digital format when it launched virtual samples of its Math Expressions program last September. It plans to have up to 142 sampling programs available online this year, a compilation of nearly 7,000 digital titles.

"With virtual sampling supported by Impelsys, districts are able to evaluate and search all programs appropriate for a particular curriculum, for all grade levels, eliminating the time-consuming page-by-page evaluation of educational material associated with print sampling," said Margaret deBoer, Senior Vice President K-12, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. "The digital format – made possible with Impelsys' technology – broadens our reach, reduces our carbon footprint and cuts costs associated with printing, packaging and shipping sample content. Additionally, the flexibility of the technology allows us to change production at short notice such as alterations to label specifications and other major changes."

The technology behind virtual sampling is Impelsys' VirtualPages™, which was created exclusively for publishers to monetize their existing print content by creating new digital versions. With VirtualPages™ educational publishers significantly reduce costs and turnaround time; creating an almost instant digital presence. It creates print look-alike and rich, user-friendly online books at a fraction of the cost of traditional print copies.

"By digitizing traditional print sampling programs, educational publishers can save tens of millions of dollars every year," said Sameer Shariff, CEO of Impelsys. "As the publishing industry evolves more and more every day, we strongly believe that now is the time for publishers to consider non-traditional business models to complement or replace current ones, in an effort to help deliver their content faster and more effectively and with a significant reduction in cost, ultimately providing audiences with a more flexible and enhanced experience. Applying this idea to sampling is a natural extension of those advantages for textbook publishers."

About Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company is a global education leader and the world's largest publisher of educational materials for pre-K–12 schools. The Company publishes a comprehensive set of best-in-class educational solutions, ranging from research-based textbook programs to instructional technology to standards-based assessments for students and educators. The Company also publishes an extensive line of reference works and award-winning literature for adults and young readers. With origins dating back to 1832, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt combines its tradition of excellence with a commitment to innovation. To learn more about Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, visit www.hmhpub.com.

About Impelsys

Impelsys, a leader in providing electronic content delivery solutions to the global publishing market, helps its clients compete, evolve and grow in an increasingly complex marketplace. Impelsys-powered technologies like iPlatform™ and VirtualPages™ and solutions like iPublishCentral™ help publishers increase their revenues by delivering content online quickly and cost effectively. Impelsys' passion for client success has helped it build long-term partnerships with its customers becoming critical in the client's electronic delivery strategy. Leading clients include McGraw-Hill, Elsevier, Wolters Kluwer, Benchmark Education, Marshall Cavendish and Houghton Mifflin. Headquartered in New York, Impelsys operates across North America, Europe and India. For more information, please visit www.impelsys.com.

SOURCE Impelsys