What is print-on-demand (POD)?

Print-on-demand (POD) is a printing technology and business process in which new copies of a book (or other document) are not printed until an order has been received, and only the number of copies required by that order, are printed. So if an order for one book is received, only one book is printed.

In the past it was not economical to print single copies using traditional printing methods due to the high setup costs, but thanks to digital technology, this is now not only possible, but reasonably economical. Digital printing enables one to print for a fixed cost per copy, irrespective of the size of the order. While the unit price of each physical copy printed is higher than with offset printing, the average cost per unit is lower for very small print runs, because of the lower setup costs. This makes digital printing ideally suited to small print runs.

Large publishers sometimes use POD to reprint older titles that have been out of print, or for creating promotional copies that they can use for marketing. Many universities and academic publishers use POD printing to maintain a large backlist. Most recently, POD has become very popular among smaller independent publishers who do not have the budgets for large volume printing and its associated costs such as warehousing, insurance, stock management and handling. In this regard, POD is also particularly suited to self-publishing authors who are bypassing bookstore distribution and marketing directly to their target market and who also need to keep their capital investment and costs to a minimum.

The benefits of print-on-demand

• Huge capital outlays for printing are no longer required
• There is little or no waste from unsold products
• Because books are printed only as they are needed and there is minimal waste, we are saving our trees
• Products do not need to be kept in stock so there are no warehousing, handling or inventory accounting costs
• Books can be printed within a matter of hours on placement of order
• Response to a book can be tested before huge investments are made in offset printing
• Revised versions of the book can be made very easily and as needed
• There is increased choice for consumers due to the low-cost entry levels for the publisher and self-publishing author
• Authors can now see their work in print by self-publishing - and thanks to print-on-demand publishers, they have a means of distribution through online stores



Are there any limitations with POD?




Because POD printing is done on digital presses, there are certain limitations to the type of paper that can be used, as well as the finishing options. But it really does not affect standard paperbacks and other text-based books that much.




What kinds of books can I print using POD?




POD can be used for any book that requires only black printing inside and a full colour cover. This generally includes novels, self-help books, motivational books, business books, and so on. It is not recommended for art books or books requiring non-standard paper and finishing options.




Can I list my book as a POD title on publisher.co.za?




www.publisher.co.za currently does not offer a true print-on-demand facility (one copy printed at a time). However, we do offer a more cost-effective alternative in the form of small-run printing (i.e. 50 books or more). While it means a small cash outlay on your part, it comes with obvious benefits:

• you make more money on the sale of each book as your printing costs per unit are lower than for true print-on-demand
• you have extra copies in stock (at the lower unit price) to sell straight away to customers when they show an interest - if the book is not readily available when their interest is piqued, they seldom go out of their way to buy the book later unless it's a book they're actually needing or it's a book they have been wanting for some time
• you can opt to leave up to 20 copies with us to fulfil the orders placed through this website (see Selling your book in our store)
• you have enough copies on hand to fulfil book review requests, as well as your legal deposit obligations.



What must I do to get my book printed and listed on publisher.co.za?



• Email us your book specifications so that we can prepare a quotation for printing:

• Book size in mm (height and width)

• No of pages (sides)

• No of copies (minimum 50 books required)

• If you're happy with the quotation, complete our Book Listing Application: download Word doc | download PDF file
• This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it us print-ready pdfs of your book inner and book cover, following these guidelines:

• Book inner and cover should be supplied separately as print-ready PDFs

• Book inner must be made up to the actual size of the printed book (we do not re-format or scale the book for you)

• Front cover and back cover should be made up as one combined flat spread which includes the spine in the middle and 5 mm bleed all around plus trim marks.

• If you are unable to supply your complete cover as one print-ready PDF with 5 mm bleed and trim marks, we will gladly set your print-ready cover up for you, at an additional cost.

NOTE: Our digitally printed books are printed on 70 gsm or 80 gsm bond (depending on number of pages) in black ink throughout with a full colour matt laminated cover and perfect bound. If your specifications differ to these, please be sure to let us know what they are so that we can quote accordingly.




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