Course:LIBR548F/2012WT1/Print on Demand

Definition and Brief History

Print on demand (POD) publishing is a process in which a single, paper copy of a book can be produced as required. Monochromatic POD publishing uses a unique printer that is capable of constructing a finished product in minutes. To all but the most careful observers, a book created with this POD technology is indistinguishable from a book produced by traditional lithographic offset printing. Photo-based POD publishing uses a different, but equally specialized type of printer. Its production time is greater than monochrome POD, but still much faster than traditional printing.

POD has existed as a concept since the 1970s. It was not feasible in practice until digital processes were used in creating books. Until quite recently, POD publishing has been the exclusive domain of specialized companies like Lulu and Authorhouse. Mainstream publishers and booksellers such as Amazon, HarperCollins, and Random House have begun to enter this market. Web based organizations such as Wikipedia have also become involved. In 2011, Xerox began offering its POD printer, the Espresso, to retail organizations. Since that time, libraries and universities have also begun to acquire POD machines.

Technology

Text-based (Monochromatic) Books

The Xerox Espresso Book Machine

The most commonly used printer for text-based books is the Espresso Book Machine, which is produced by Xerox. This machine houses a copier that produces the book block, an ink jet printer that creates the full colour cover, and a machine that trims and binds the book. According to Xerox, it is capable of printing and binding a book in 4 minutes or less. Pricing varies depending the purchaser, but is generally in the range of $100,000US.

Photo-based Books

The HP Indigo 10000

At this time there is no photo-focused POD printer that also binds books. However, companies such as My Premium Book combine printing and binding services to create a POD product that can be rapidly manufactured. Both Kodak (NexPress) and HP (Indigo) offer competitive printers for this niche. Because of the complicated processes involved in the colour printing procedure, these machines are significantly more expensive than Xerox's Espresso. The estimated list price for HP's new Indigo 10000 is $1.5 million USD.

Benefits and Opportunities

With POD, publishers no longer have to gamble on whether to produce another 5,000 copies of a book when initial supplies are sold. Similarly, POD can create a new life for out of print books. As long as the digital file exists, an out of print title can be resurrected. By enabling publishers to print a single copy of a book only as it is ordered, storage space costs can be reduced or eliminated. With this flexibility, publishers have unparalleled access to the long tail.

POD offers benefits for academia. It can be a cost-efficient and attractive way to produce course packs. Because the files can be edited at any time, infinite customization and updates are possible. POD can also provide a means to publish a greater number of scholarly monographs. Because demand for this work is typically low, fewer copies need to be created. However, with traditional printing, this meant that the cost per book could be prohibitively high. University presses therefore had to decline publication-worthy works on the basis of cost. With POD, the same amount of expenditure can result in publication of a greater number of books.

POD also reduces barriers to self-publication. By using web-based companies who use POD technologies, authors can produce books with little or no up-front expense. Readers can benefit from an increase in title choices.

Drawbacks

One of POD's greatest assets - that its prices are the same for each book produced - is also one of its drawbacks. With POD, there are no economies of scale. This means that for a big job where tens of thousands of copies are required, POD would likely be more expensive than traditional printing processes.

POD can also cause problems for self-publishing authors who aren't familiar with local law. In Canada, for example, a copy of every book published in the country must be deposited with Library and Archives Canada. In China, a licence is required to publish books.

Further Reading

The Writers' Union of Canada. New Technologies: E-Books and Print on Demand. Toronto: The Writers' Union of Canada, 2006. Print.

This slim volume provides an excellent overview of POD publishing from an author's point of view. In addition to its discussion of different types of POD publishing, it delves into issues involved with self-publishing.

Singleton, Alan. "On-demand publishing." Aslib Proceedings. 31.12 (1979): 561-582. Print.

This article provides an interesting discussion of POD publishing that is focused mainly on possibilities for scholarly publishing. Although it was published decades before technology made POD a practical alternative to traditional publishing, Singleton's analysis remains relevant.