Espresso Printing: finally happening

[richsc]

Over the years I've mentioned printing on demand, the idea that you can print any book you would like by walking in and asking for it. Seems, of all places, the World Bank has it running this month, called the "Espresso Printing":

espresso Printing at World Bank, DC

[Tarbicus]

If you also wanted to write and print your own book, and sell it, check out Lulu:

[url:2gkahx0m]http://www.lulu.com/[/url]

[stevesarak]

If you also wanted to write and print your own book, and sell it, check out Lulu:

[url:1c1zet38]http://www.lulu.com/[/url]

They take only 20% of the profits.

[Tarbicus]

True, it is a lot. But then again, you could spend years trying to get a book published, and you get to set your own royalty. There are others who don't charge as much, especially if you don't want colour printing. I just had that one in mind at the time.

[mcbishop]

Over the years I've mentioned printing on demand, the idea that you can print any book you would like by walking in and asking for it. Seems, of all places, the World Bank has it running this month, called the "Espresso Printing":

espresso Printing at World Bank, DC

Excellent link and the guy behind it (watch the streamed video: it's worth it) is right that it is the future of printing and he is spot-on about the importance of backlist... but is it the future of books (not the same issue!)? My own entanglement with POD continues and I still don't have anything to show for all my efforts more than six months after I started trying to communicate with firms who do it (many of whom seem to be digitally challenged when it comes to communicating by email); had I used my conventional printers I would have had books five months ago. Nevertheless, I shall persevere and my next military equipment book may well be produced by POD if the bunch I am currently working with come up trumps.

Mike Bishop

[richsc]

I visited the World Bank bookstore to look at this machine. One of the engineers was there printing manga books for kids-at-work day. I examined a number of books it had done; very nice work, all paperback, glued (there is a technical term for that) not sewn. But it truly works by clicking on a browser button! The machine works from digitized images or PDF at the moment, and can print anything out of copyright (pre-1933) or in the public domain. The next machine will go in the New York public library, and will print anything that is legal to print.

What is the major breakthrough in this machine is that, unlike machines like the Xerox Docutech, there is no operator effort except to load paper and toner. Basically, it is a robotic assembly line: the paper is fed from laser printers into the line (there can be six printer and six books going at one time), where it is jogged, the spine roughed, the cover printed and glued, the paper inserted into the cover and clamped, the book cut to size, and popped out. The machine now is a hand built prototype, which broke down once when I was there. The fellow said it cost $65,000 to build, which does not seem like much to me, but they are shooting for less for production. They can print up to an 8 1/2 x 11" and about 1" thick on this version of the machine, and did not do internal color because it takes longer. Start to finish is about 8 minutes.

I suggest watching the video on the link above, very interesting. The savings in shipping alone makes it worth while! But the real target for the World Bank is the ability to print any book anywhere in the world, especially third world countries. A friend from Indonesia took the flyer and is sending the info to a professor at the Univ of Indonesia who keeps his own printing press trying to keep up with scholarly books not available in that country.

The company is On Demand Books, and the engineer I spoke with is Thor Sigvaldason.

[richsc]

Looks like this is coming into production soon. Note the quote from Oxford Univ. Press


CNN on Espresso

[john m roberts]

They get 20% of the profits? Major publishers take 90% of the profits, which may be reduced to 85% if the book sells enough copies to make them happy. If my publishers only took 20% I'd be ecstatic. Of course, what you're actually getting is 10% of the cover price with an advance against royalties. Publishers will always try to claim that the book didn't earn out its advance, so there are no profits, unless you belong to the tiny, charmed circle of best-selling authors.

[richsc]

Makes you wonder if a 'viral' book publicity campaign where the books were published in 'on-demand' sites would pay an author more than going through a traditional publisher.

For you authors out there, if you give 20% to the Espresso, and pocket the rest, how many books would you have to sell to turn an adequate profit?

[richsc]

Wonders never cease: NY Times on the new library of Alexandria, and what do they have in their lobby? Printing on demand with the Espresso system.

Library of Alexandria