Newspaper and magazine publishers from Los Angeles and New York had reason to be happy the morning after the United States election. The print industry has lost readers to the Internet for years, seen steep declines in advertising revenue, publication closures, and round after round of layoffs. When Barack Obama was elected as the next President of the United States there were sold-out newsstands throughout the country.

Some newsstand operators were forced to compile handwritten waiting lists for special election issues of certain newspapers and magazines like Newsweek and Time. It is a temporary reversal of fortune that the print industry hopes to capitalize on up to and beyond the inauguration. Consumers’ Obama obsession is an adrenalin shot to print media’s sense of self-worth and self-image.

With Obama’s win, there is a certain tangible quality that cannot be translated online for big momentous events like this one. The New York Times initially underestimated the demand for its election edition. On three different occasions it has had to return to the presses for a total of 405,000 copies more than its typical weekday output of 220,000 newspapers. On November 5, USA Today published 380,000 additional copies but still sold out across the country. Since then, it has printed thousands more for purchase.