On 10 July 2012 the magazine announced its final print edition, the editor Jon Excell citing "increasing distribution and production costs, and the impact of an ongoing economic crisis on advertising revenues [which] have conspired to create a challenging environment for magazine publishers". The owner of The Engineer, Centaur Media proposed to focus the magazine’s editorial and commercial resources on growing the website, which had relaunched in 2009, and other digital products. According to Excell, demand for the print edition was such that after a 12-month hiatus, The Engineer returned as a monthly print magazine in September 2013.
On July 10, 2012, the magazine ceased printing due to "rising production and distribution costs, coupled with an economic downturn impacting advertising revenues [which] created difficulties for magazine publishers". Centaur Media's owner suggested concentrating The Engineer’s resources on its website and digital products. Despite continued demand, the print edition was reinstated as a monthly publication in September 2013.