Liv-e-books: The Rise of On Demand Book Printing

e-books are getting the headlines. However, liv-e-books are making a comeback with the rise of on demand book printing sparked by specialized machines. The Espresso Book Machine is a fully integrated book making machine which can automatically print, bind, and trim on demand. This machine creates perfect bound library-quality paperback books that are no different from their factory made versions.

The book printer looks like an over-sized traditional office printer. However, this machine can create a book with up to 850 pages, including a 4-color cover, within minutes. Books that have been out-of-print for centuries can be easily and inexpensively published. You can choose from more than 500,000 titles to print.

Here’s a video about The Expresso 2.0 Book Machine by the manufacturer, On Demand Books.

There are only a handful of these on demand book printing machines installed in the U.S. Locally, the Expresso 2.0 Book Machine has been installed at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. To make the machine seem more approachable, the staff has named their printer, Ginger (me, I would have gone with Mary Ann).