DIGITAL PRINTING / PRINT-ON-DEMAND PRINTING
Fact: Print-on-demand (POD) books are always printed using a digital printing press, but digital printing is not always print-on-demand. Feel like you’re reading an LSAT prep question? Don’t worry, we have the answer key right here.
POD printing means that a printer will print as few as one or two copies of a book at a time. This is always done using a digital printing press because it does not require the intensive setup that offset printing does. Digital book printing (also known as short run book printing) allows the author or publisher to print a smaller volume of books than would normally be allowed for an offset print run. At Mill City Press we use digital printing for almost all print jobs under 500 copies.
A Deeper Look at Digital Book Printing
Digital Book Printing involves the use of toner and not ink. This is similar to how a copy machine makes a copy, except with much better technology and a higher quality result. Advances in digital printing technology have greatly narrowed the gap in quality as compared to offset printing. Improvements in technology have enabled the price per book for a short run to decrease as well. Digital printing can be done by the sheet just like a copier, or with a web roll where signatures are used—just like the offset book printing process.
Even with all the new technology, the number one concern with digital book printing is ensuring a quality product. There are a lot of printers that say they print books and can do it for unbelievably low prices. Many of these printers simply do the printing and then outsource the binding of the book. By doing that, they are introducing a lot of quality control issues that can make your final product look like it’s not been professionally produced.
There are very few digital printers that only specialize in the production of books. If you get a quote that looks too good to be true, it probably is. Finding the best price, while an important factor, is not the only factor. Making sure you are working with a quality printer that specializes in book production is equally important.
