Print on demand (POD) is Printing a physical copy of a book only when it is ordered in paperback format. It is also known as Books on Demand. Printing as and when required is far more economical than printing a bunch of copies in advance. One unique feature of print on demand is the process starts only after the book is purchased.
History & Need
Books on Demand gained popularity in the late 20th century. Until recently, the printing industry has operated in a traditional manner since its inception. Authors need to invest heavily if they want to use the traditional publishing channels.
The books on demand started back in 1990. Soon the concept was popular and a lot of companies started offering the print on demand services.
This was a Win-Win situation for both the authors and the readers. The authors get benefited as they did not require to invest a huge upfront cost for printing multiple copies. The readers were made available to get copies of all those books which have either gone off-shelf or out of stock.
Advantages of Print of Demand
1. Easily Available
With the advanced machines and technology, it has become ever easier to print books real quick.
2. No upfront cost
Books are printed as and when ordered. This eliminates the bulk investment of printing and storing the inventory.
3. Made-to-Order
With POD, it is possible to customize the elements while printing. It gives an opportunity to print in different sizes, cover design, paper type and many more.
Print on Demand Today
Printing industry has been a long standing industry with a manual workforce. However, even this industry just like all the other major industries has got its taste of AI. With Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning repetitive tasks will get automated and thereby will increase efficiency and productivity.
The best example that can be quoted here is color correction. In the printing industry colors are of utmost importance. There is no margin for error on this aspect and so it was a time consuming process when done manually. Ever since AI has been introduced to do this job the process has gone error-free with a consistent print quality.
Print On Demand makes it easy and convenient for authors who publish their own books. POD helps them to print and sell them directly to readers across the world. With Print On Demand, authors can advertise and sell their books without needing to store, send, or keep lots of books in storage. As self-publishing has gained its popularity, the on demand book printing has also been in demand.
Bindwel – Indian company introducing cutting-edge machine for POD at ‘drupa’
Bindwel is an Indian company that has been in the book printing and binding business for years. The company will be introducing a modern cutting-edge machine that will print the books quickly. The company claims that it has the ability to produce around 1000 books per hour. They will be introducing the machine at the ‘drupa’ exhibition which is going to be held in Düsseldorf in Germany between May 28 to June, 2024.
What is ‘drupa’?
Drupa (stands for Druck und Paper) which is ‘print and paper’, is the exhibition held once in four years. It is the world’s largest printing exhibition held by Messe Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf, Germany.
A great number of people from the industry attend this exhibition. Representatives from companies like HP Inc, Xerox, Canon, Flint Group are usually present for this event.
Also Read: Top 5 most Awarded Books
