Revealing the end of its printed editions, which are produced by the publisher’s Hong Kong-based print firm MPAL, Macmillan said that the final copies were already "rolling off the presses".

Explaining the complete transition to an online resource Macmillan’s editor-in-chief Michael Rundell said that the traditional book format was very limiting for any kind of reference work.

He added: "Books are out of date as soon as they're printed, and the space constraints they impose often compromise our goals of clarity and completeness. There is so much more we can do for our users in digital media."

According to the publisher its Macmillan Dictionary Online resource had seen "explosive growth" since its launch in 2009. Latest figures from the company show 50% growth in October 2012 since the same period last year and 130% growth on October 2010.

Macmillan’s publisher of dictionaries Stephen Bullon said: "Our prediction is for continued growth for at least the next three years, though beyond that it’s difficult to predict as the digital landscape may be rather different by then."

Bullon said that certain markets for printed dictionaries were leading what was a growing decline in demand. "It is public knowledge that monolingual dictionary sales in Japan and Korea, which used to be among the biggest markets for dictionaries, have virtually dried up over the last 10 years, not just for Macmillan but for other dictionary publishers too. Other major markets are seeing a noticeable decline," he added.

Bullon explained that Macmillan had launched several apps in 2010, but due to the developer ceasing to trade, the apps had to be removed because the publisher could not continue to provide "an acceptable level of technical support". The apps are currently being redeveloped, he added.
 
Macmillan Dictionary Online provides an English dictionary and thesaurus, as well as a blog about topical issues, a weekly 'buzzword' column on newly-emerging words, and a crowd-sourced 'open dictionary'.

Rundell said: "While printed dictionaries only get updated every four or five years, Macmillan's online presence means we can add new words and phrases on a regular basis, reflecting the ever-changing role of English as the lingua franca of science, business, academia and social media."

Bullon added: "Our research tells us that most people today get their reference information via their computer, tablet, or phone, and the message is clear and unambiguous: the future of the dictionary is digital."

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