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What is Print On Demand Printing
Print On Demand (POD) publishing is a method of producing books in specific quantities needed to meet ongoing bookstore or book buyer orders. POD printing makes it economical to print just one copy of a book at a time because the technology uses digital printing rather than the traditional methods of letterpress and offset printing, which is too complex to print a one at a time.
Who uses print-on-demand?
- Authors: Print-on-demand enables self-publishing authors to sell books without having to pay large, up-front costs for a large number of books, when they’re not sure how many they’re going to sell.
- Publishers: Publishers use print-on-demand to maintain availability without paying high storage costs. It’s also useful for niche publications that have a smaller audience.
- Businesses: Businesses use print-on-demand services to produce customized books for their clients, for marketing, brand-building and information.
Advantages for the publishers include:
- Eliminates the need to keep books in inventory;
- Allows books without substantial sales to stay in print;
- The manuscript can be updated if you find errors because copies are printed individually.
- Self-publishers can test the market before investing thousands of dollars upfront.
- Your book can be printed in a short time as opposed to the long wait of traditional presses
- The cost per unit is a little higher, however the upfront cost of printing and shipping is lower.
- POD is more environmentally friendly because publishers don't have to dispose of unsold books, from a large print run.
- You can order books in quantities as small as one