Update: Intended as response to pre-update version of Re: Can't get text to print and misplaced. Mea culpa. </update>

From http://perldoc.perl.org/functions/open.html (5.20)

If three (or more) arguments are specified, the open mode (including optional encoding) in the second argument are distinct from the filename in the third. If MODE is < or nothing, the file is opened for input.

i.e., opened for reading. And also:

In the one- and two-argument forms of the call (emphasis supplied) ... (y)ou can--but shouldn't--omit the mode in these forms when that mode is < .