It is a well-known fact that technology changes all the time and everyone has to move with it if they want to stay up to date with their customers and markets. It is also a well known fact that recent technology has given people far more options than they ever had before in a number of fields.
Publishing is definitely one of those fields and it is important to keep up with trends and technology. Whether you own a print business, are a publisher or write your own books and wish to see them in print, being able to take advantage of the latest trends is a must and one of those trends is print on demand.
What is print on demand?
Print on demand is essentially exactly what the name suggests it is – the ability to print a book or materials as and when an order has been received. It is a form of printing technology that allows one book at a time to be printed so that you are not printing hundreds of copies that will never be sold or given away. It has only been around since digital printing became the norm in the printing world but it has revolutionized the way in which many print companies work as well as the opportunities that are valuable for authors today.
Print on demand or web printing services do vary from printer to printer but, no matter what the size of the project, the writer remains in control of their own work. This is one of the major benefits of the whole process, as is the fact that it cuts costs right down for publishers and individuals alike. However, there are probably many facts that you didn’t know about the whole print on demand process and you can find the top five facts below!
Interesting print on demand facts
- Publishers can hold a greater back catalog with print on demand. Under traditional printing processes, it was common for books to go out of print if they were not selling well or when they were deemed irrelevant. It was also harder to get books into print. Not anymore. Now, it is possible to hold huge back catalogs with printing options without major costs and that is all down to printing on demand.
- It has boosted the self publishing industry no end. As mentioned already, it is hard to see your work in print, especially if you have written a book and have no contract with a publishing house or agent to get it into print. However, with self publishing, individual authors can pay to print their books on demand so that they do get to see a copy of their work but do not have to pay a fortune or face repeated disappointment along the way.
- Print on demand allows you to tailor individual books to individual customers. If you have an order for a large print book, for example, printing one would not be an option under traditional printing services. You would have to order several. However, with this service you can order the one you need quickly and easily!
- There are no returns. Although this particular fact can limit the amount of book stores that are willing to take a chance on you, it also helps to reduce costs because it means that neither publishers nor individuals have to foot a huge bill.
- You can use print on demand services in conjunction with massive retailers. Amazon and certain other online retailers offer individuals a cost effective opportunity to sell their work online for a share of the profits, thus making it available to massive audiences. This applies to publishers and individuals alike.
The verdict!
As you can see, there are huge benefits associated with web-to-print and print on demand services and the facts listed above simply scrape the surface. The service gives individuals and publishers alike a whole world of options so that they are able to tailor printing to suit themselves and this certainly helps readers too because it means that fewer books go out of print. Check out your options if you are looking to see your work in print or alternatively offer people those types of services. You will be pleasantly surprised about just how much POD can help you.