If It Prints, I'll Let You Know

Made-to-Order Books: Want Them? Print Them!

In London, a new machine may pave the way for the return of those hard-to-get old classics that are no longer in circulation. It may also be a good way for budding novelists and fledgling authors to see the “fruits of their labors” in print.

Introducing – the Espresso Book Machine (EBM). Introduced by the book chain Blackwell, the EBM is a machine that can print out a shiny new book in the time it takes to make a cappuccino. Now, you can choose the book that you want, step out to pick up a latte nearby, and have a book ready to take home with you.

books Behind the machine is a database that currently contains about 400,000 titles, which Blackwell hopes will increase to a million in the summer. Customers can browse a catalogue in a kiosk beside the machine, choose the title that they want and watch as their on-demand, made-to-order book is printed.

The machine will start by printing what will become the book’s cover on hard-wearing paper. It will then proceed with printing the actual pages of the book at an impressive rate of 105 pages per minute. Then, it will collate the pages, clamp them and glue them to the spine.

Once this step is completed, the pages are stuck to the prepared cover and trimmed from its original A4 size. The finished book will then pop out from a side slot in the machine.

The machine is Blackwell’s way of competing with supermarkets and online retailers who offer discounting and sell second-hand, out-of-print books. Online retailers have especially been gaining a foothold in the market; from a reported 7% of books sold from 5 years ago, they now hold a 14% share of books sold.

The downside of purchasing books online is the waiting period. With the EBM, consumers can hold an out of stock or out of print book in their hands in minutes. Out of copyright books reportedly sell for 10-pence per page, although Blackwell is hoping that the costs will go down.