How To: Get Digital Magazines on your iPad

So I'm thrifty.  And I ♥ my iPad.  What I don't like is spending $$ checking out indie on-line magazines.  I also don't like a HUGE stack of unread magazines sitting in the corner of the living room (it makes me feel guilty about 1) spending the money, 2) being too lazy to go pick up a magazine to read and 3) well, add 1 + 2).

So, I've been cruising the internet trying to find a way to get my digital inspiration on-line.  This is no easy feat, for those of you that don't have an iPad, because iPads don't support any content that has Adobe Flash.  Pretty annoying, so I just go back to playing games...

Oh, back to work.  I discovered that many magazines on Issuu have a download icon (rectangle with a downward pointing arrow), so you can download a pdf.  If you can't download, it might have a print icon (mini printer).  

If you've never printed to a pdf, you must try it.  doPDF is my favorite.  It's free, and it shows up as a printer in the printer window.  

After you select doPDF as your printer, a dialog box will pop up asking you where you want to save the file.  

Now, you have a bunch of pdfs, but they are not on your iPad yet.  So, the next step is to open iTunes.  Connect your iPad (you can pause syncing if it automatically starts).  Go to File > Add File to Library > select your pdf (you can select more than one) and click Open.  

Voila, your pdf is transferred over to the books section of your iPad, and you can now read it using iBooks.

Some of my favorite reads right now?

Fear.less

Joie

Fête

High Gloss

I'm sure there will be others - I just figured out how to do this and I am still exploring the plethora of digital publications.  Remember, if you find an online mag that you enjoy, it wouldn't hurt to donate some $$ or subscribe to them so that they keep offering there awesomeness for free.  AND, if you want more and are willing to pay for the big names, go to Zinio, but then you have to use their app to read it - and just make sure the issue you are purchasing can be read on the iPad (I've run across quite a few that can't, urgh).

What are your favorite online magazines?