At AlphaGraphics Seattle, the
business of printing books has
been honed into an efficient,
streamlined manufacturing
process. Attention to detail is
key to the company's success.
Crack Open
the On-Demand Book Market
Short-run book printing is a growing
niche market. By Jeffrey Steele
f you're seeking new revenue opportunities, producing on-demand books may
open up a whole new and proftable
chapter in your shop's history. Authoring a success story in on-demand books
requires possessing or acquiring certain equipment, now and a bit down the road. It calls for
you to hire or train certain skills. It demands
a mindset that embraces, rather than recoils
from, challenges. And it requires the willingness to attend to small details.
I
many pages, and every one of them can do its part to
provide you profit.
Here's a look at some of the reasons to offer ondemand books, and a few of the keys to success
once you've jumped into the market.
On-demand books represent a growth market,
says Richard Lindemann II, vice president of
Total Printing Systems, a Newton, IL-based
40-year-old short-run book manufacturer
with complete in-house finishing capabilities. One factor in the growth is the cost pressure facing publishers. When producing books ondemand, publishers can create them only as needed,
based on orders sold, and
ship from multiple locations; reaping considerable
(continued on page 23)
If you have or can obtain all these attributes, ondemand books can be a lucrative profit center for
your company. As one expert notes, books have
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QUICK PRINTING / May 2013
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