38 ■ October 6, 2010 • GRAPH EXPO


Official Show Daily • Cygnus Graphics Media Book Printing Goes Digital There is money hidden in the pages of that paperback!


By Karen Lowery Hall, Managing Editor, Quick Printing


T


he printing of perfect bound and hardbound books was once a rarified market that was open only to a few


very large printing companies. They worked directly with the publishing houses and most made book printing their primary activity. That is no lon- ger the case. Since the advent of the self publishing revolution that began in the 1990s, an increasing number of printers have found their way into this market segment. Today, even quite small print busi- nesses are taking advantage of the opportunities presented by the flood of authors who choose to forego the tra- ditional writer/publisher relationship. Others have formed relationships with the new crop of independent publish- ing houses that now publish thousands of titles each year. According to Pub- lisher’s Weekly, in 2009 more than 764,000 books were self published. The technology required to tap into that burgeoning market has migrated downstream to the point that virtually every printer has it within his capacity to do some kind of book printing.


An important role


“Self publishers play an important role in demonstrating the benefits of short-run publishing,” observes Forrest Leighton, Director of Product Market- ing, ISG Production Systems, for Can- on USA. “Their success, coupled with that of other early adopters, has set the stage for all segments of the market, from children’s books to educational


C Book Trends


handni Dighe, Worldwide Marketing Manager, Publishing, Kodak Digital Printing Solutions, shared some insights about the current trends in the short-run book market: • Digital production of short-run books is expected to triple over


the next five years. Digital book printing is forecasted to grow from its cur- rent position of less than 5% of all books produced today to 9% in 2013 and 15% in 2015, according to InterQuest.


• More than 60% of books printed are in run lengths of less than 10,000. • The traditional book production supply chain—encompassing manufac-


turing, carrying, returns and shipping—has become inefficient and costly for publishers. For example, on average, 40% of printed hardcover and trade paperback books are remaindered or returned unsold to the publisher. • Digitally producing books on demand can optimize supply chain efficien- cies in several ways, including reducing costs incurred when books are out of stock, stored in warehouses or lead to excessive inventory. • Digital printing is being used to add features that make books more valu- able, such as personalizing books using variable data printing or adding QR codes to pages to bring a multimedia component to books. • Short-run books increasingly are produced using color. • Self-publishing continues to grow as an application ideally suited for the print on demand method of book production.


Green Theater Booth 2641


The Green Theater at GRAPH EXPO offers free presentations every day.


WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 6 11:00 am – 11:30 am Ahead of the Climate Wave: Carbon/ GHG Basics for Printers Speaker: Todd Frank, Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) For small, medium and chain


printers, carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting is the next green tide—but to improve your carbon footprint, you have to know what it is! Come learn the basics of carbon


texts, to embrace short-run, on demand publishing.” GRAPH EXPO attendees who are looking for equip- ment that will allow them to tap into this profit center, or improve


their existing pro-


duction capacity, will find a wealth of equipment on the show floor. Whether you are in the market for an offset press, a digital press, publishing soft- ware, or specialized binding equipment, it is all here.


Taking it to the max There is one piece of equip- ment on th show floor that takes the concept of on demand book printing to the extreme. In the Xerox booth (400, 600), visitors have a chance to see the Espres- so Book Machine (EBM) in action. Reaching beyond self publishing appli- cations, the EBM was designed to allow retail establishments to produce one-off books right at the point of purchase. “The EBM solution provides con- tent, hardware and manufacturing capa- bilities directly at the point of need,” explains John Conley, Vice President, Publishing Segment, Xerox Corpora- tion. “EBM, developed through a part- nership with On Demand Books, can print a 300-page paperback edition in less than five minutes, and up to 40,000 books per year, bringing mil- lions of copyrighted, public domain, out-of-print or rare texts to consumers in a matter of minutes. The device can now be purchased directly from Xerox, giving users access to award-winning products, service and support.”


The Xerox 4112 Copier/Printer and the Espresso Book Machine is a fully integrated solution that prints, binds and trims books with full color covers on demand.


Dawn of an era Despite the fact—or perhaps because


of it—that books have traditionally been printed on offset presses, the seeds of this movement were sown when digital printing technology found its way into the mainstream. The abil- ity to produce short-run, on demand documents seemed tailor made for handbooks and manuals. The materials could be updated easily and there was no need to warehouse and eventually dispose of the overrun.


As consumers became more and


more familiar with common desktop publishing software, it was inevitable that their work would eventually find its way into the print shop. While small commercial printers are right at home with short-run work, this busi- ness model may require a rather seri- ous adjustment from many of their


Driving forces A number of factors are driving the


growing trend to self publish. One is that professionals in numerous industries are cashing in on the prestige of publishing books to position themselves as experts in their field. This is especially popular with consultants, speakers and present- ers. Another is the idea of using a book as a type of business card—an idea that appeals to many people who have been downsized from corporate positions. And there are always the aspiring poets, novelists, historians and biographers who were once relegated to the so called “vanity press” operations if they wanted to see their books in print.


Here is at least one printing equip- ment manufacturer—Océ North Ameri- ca—that is determined to fuel this trend and keep it growing. For the past five years, the company has sponsored the Océ Future Authors Project in conjunc- tion with the School District of Palm Beach County (FL). Xplor International also gets involved. Together with local sponsors, they bring in teachers, authors and other experts to conduct a free sum- mer workshop for middle school and high school students. Those young writ- ers to be may well find their way into your shop in the not too distant future. According to recent Interquest research, by 2020 between 30-35% of all books will be produced digitally. And that’s good news for you.


accounting and how legislation and the voluntary market will affect your business as we discuss: • The latest on legislation to regu- late greenhouse gas emissions • Printers may be regulated under a cap & trade program. How will state and federal greenhouse gas legislation affect your operation? • What is a “carbon footprint” and


how do you measure it? • What are carbon offsets and how


do they apply to my business? • Some types of printing equipment are more efficient than others. What are some examples of this and other greenhouse gas reduction efforts in the print business? • What is the voluntary carbon


market?


• Can I put “carbon neutral” claims on my printed products?


large commercial counterparts. “Undoubtedly, offset substitution is


the key trend in the short-run book market. It’s creating a paradigm shift in how books are being—and will be—produced,” notes Andy Fether- man, Manager of Muller Martini’s OnDemand Solutions Division. “For example, instead of 10,000 quantity print runs, printers are receiving 20 orders of 500 each, and they’re receiv- ing those types of orders every three weeks as opposed to every year.”


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