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already have equipment to produce books," reported Conley, who was a longtime book printing executive in the education segment with mega printer RR Donnelley before joining Xerox. "I tell [PSPs], if you want to expand your book business become the local service provider for the self-published author. There are hundreds and hundreds of titles every year. Most of these people are not doing [books] for commercial purposes. They're doing it for family or a school project." Opportunity exists in every community across the nation, he added. As the local businessperson handling the printing of self- published books, you are likely to be trusted, because prospects can come speak with you in person. Conley urges PSPs to build reputations by printing soft-cover, adhesive-bound books to high standards, and serving the local authors and school dis- tricts in their regions. Most PSPs who enter this niche have at least a one-color digital press that runs an 11x17 or larger sheet. Most books will run in three trim size families: 5.5x8.5, 6x9, and 8.5x11 inches. "Go into a book store with a ruler, and that is 90 percent of what you'll measure," Conley noted. "You start with some kind of entry-level press, and once you start building the volume, and you're doing 100,000 pages a month or more, you'll get a heavier production press." In addition to the press, also needed at the outset are a four- color digital press to print the covers in the three above trim sizes and an adhesive binder. Don't add higher-volume equipment until you have the vol- ume to justify it. When you do, he says, an ideal heavier pro- duction press could be a Xerox Nuvera 120 model that handles more than 100 A4 pages a minute. To ensure that your business doesn't have to take on projects that reduce margins, establish the standard for the way files come into your shop, Conley urged. You can't run a business accepting files in formats that haven't existed in 20 years. "Say someone has composed the book on an Apple IIc in Apple ver- sion of WordPerfect. If you try to take care of that, you lose money," he advised. "If they aren't able to provide appropriate files, build up a list of local outsource [partners] who can do that for you, and send them to those sources," he added. "It's not an expense you want to take on in house. [By outsourcing] you get a trusted file you know will run in your workflow, and that's very important." Tonya Powers, Graphic Arts Segment marketing manager with Canon Solutions America, agreed that serving self publishers is a viable strategy. "Digital printing has turned the traditional publishing model upside down by providing 'print-to-order' capabilities," she reported. "Many printing companies are using this model to print on demand on behalf of the publisher. The printer essentially prints and distributes titles, filling orders on behalf of the publisher. Printers now have the ability to provide a comprehensive suite of inventory-free, on-demand print and distribution services for books to the publishing industry." Gone are the days, she said, of book inventory, storage, and distribution through lengthy supply chains. Most digitally printed books go straight from the printer to the consumer. Not only is this model quicker and more cost-efficient, it's the only way to thrive in the book printing world, Powers advised. Stressing his belief that the right equipment is crucial to suc- cess is Canon Solutions America customer Jeremy Hess, sales and marketing director for Odenton, MD-based Gasch Printing. However, the equipment required will vary depending on what segment of the industry you pursue, he said. "Figure out what your customers need, and then find the right equipment partner to fit those needs," Hess recommended. M a y 2 0 1 4 / Q U I C K P R I N T I N G 17 w w w. M y P R I N T R e s o u r c e . c o m Binding print on demand (POD): Super Sticker Auto-Sizing is an inline reading system from On Demand Machinery that allows for grouping of similar trim sizes—all 8x8 or 6x9 inches, for example. By reading Book ID Barcodes, it automatically adjusts for spine thickness. THE NEXT GENERATION XXL SERIES "We purchased the Casemaking System™, Sticker™ and Smasher™ and have been very satisfied with both the equipment and service we received from ODM." G. Scott Simons, VP of Operations at Maple Press MAPLE PRESS GOES DIGITAL AND INSTALLS THE ODM CASEMAKING SYSTEM™. On Demand Machinery manufacturers a complete line of bookbinding equipment that enables you to produce on-demand, case-bound, hard cover books in-house. There's no need to purchase expensive pre-made covers. It's fast and easy to pro- duce your own 'library-quality' hard cover books. The ODM bookbinding system is easily 'scalable' to fit your production requirements. The ODM Casemaking System™, Super Sew er™, Sticker™ and Smasher™ enable you to produce 'library- quality' children's, yearbooks and photo books. XXL Series enables you to produce hard cover books from wallet to 18x18" tabloid, up to 4" thick. Hard cover books produced on ODM equipment are bound to last for future generations to enjoy. Call for FREE 'How-To' guide and brochure. ON DEMAND MACHINERY 150 Broadway, Elizabeth, NJ 07206 T: 908-351-6906 F: 908-351-7156 E-mail: info@ODMachinery.com Visit: www.ODMachinery.com For more information, visit MyPRINTResource.com/10006990 QP_16-18_0514_OnDemand Books.indd 17 4/15/14 4:55 PM