The results — if accurate — represent a major milestone for the education publishing industry.

Inside Higher Ed reports.

Publishers report digital sales overtaking print sales

Several of the largest education publishers say they now generate most of their sales and revenue from digital products, but both analysts and some in the industry disagree on if the shift represents a transformation for the textbook industry or a forced rebranding.

When McGraw-Hill Education this week reports its finances for 2015, the results will show that the company’s digital products — including learning platforms ALEKS, Connect and LearnSmart and digital textbook service SmartBooks — for the first time sold more units than its print products. The company already teased that detail in a press release earlier this month, showing healthy year-over-year digital growth.

McGraw-Hill Education isn’t alone. A spokesperson for Cengage Learning, whose digital offerings include the MindTap learning platform, said the company is on track this fiscal year to see digital sales surpass print sales, both in terms of unit sales and revenue.