The Bookmasters Group's full-color Océ Jetstream 1000, paired with an inline Lasermax slitter/cutter and Mueller-Martini Sigma finishing system, helped the 40-year-old firm to beef up its digital division for very short-run and POD manufacturing. The newest system joins a toner-based Océ DemandStream 8090 used for short runs.

"We bought the JetStream to meet the demand for the POD part of our business," explains Sevin. "Typically, it's for a publisher that sells direct-to-consumer. For example, we have a publisher that represents over 40,000 titles, which they sell through a variety of outlets, including a website. They may have anywhere from 100 to 700 orders per day, but each individual book order is very small. We archive the print files; when we receive an order, our system retrieves it and cues it to the JetStream. Covers are printed first on a cut-sheet digital color printer, UV coated or film laminated, and then placed into the cover feeder of the binder. As this point it becomes an inline process. The text flows off of the JetStream, matched with the cover via barcode verification, and finished inline."

While the sweet spot for inkjet runs is in the 3,000 to 5,000 range, Bookmasters moves jobs to offset once they hit 1,000. Although, Sevin admits, "Once we get through the learning curve, I will personally investigate the practice of taking some of the offset runs ranging in the couple of thousands to the JetStream."

Making its Impact

The Espresso Book Machine (EBM), developed by On Demand Books and now sold and serviced by Xerox, features an inline binding system and the EspressNet software system, which gives users access to more than four million in-copyright and public-domain titles. Xerox's 4112 copier/printer is now sold as part of the system. "What makes EBM unique is the proprietary compact binding solution combined with ExpressNet, which manages all the transaction issues for the retailer," says John Conley, vice president, Publishing, Xerox.

There are three places that EBM is making an impact: trade book stores, college bookstores, and libraries. "Within the trade book stores, there is a tremendous amount of self-publishing occurring," says Conley. "This was a nice 'aha' moment for us—seeing how much of the volume is self-publishing. There is a latent demand of that service; a lot of people have a story to tell."

The EMB is one of the few changes in the book industry, with everything going digital, that bookstores can actually take advantage of, says Chris Morrow, owner of Northshire Bookstore, a family-owned, independent bookstore in Manchester Center, VT. "The EBM has been a successful investment for us, allowing us to experiment in the digital realm and letting us add another business model of self publishing. We've already printed books for more than 200 authors. We also print books that are out of copyright and were scanned by Google."

Northshire EBM print runs topp out at 400; it sends larger runs out to a digital printer. Color is also sent out. "We have it in the front of the store," says Morrow. "Our customers can see books being made. You plug in a digital file and out pops a book on the other side. The finishing is all integrated; it prints, glues, and binds inline.

The University of Missouri (Columbia) bookstore's EBM, installed in September, 2011, has ramped up the facility's offerings, says Heather Tearney, the bookstore's media group coordinator. Using the EBM's on-demand capabilities, the bookstore has created its own imprint; taking public domain books, like Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice", and reprinting them for faculty and students. Self-publishing is a growing part of the bookstore's business, with both on-campus and off-campus authors using the service. In fact, the bookstore recently held a self-publishing workshop, which was attended by 30 local authors. Faculty are creating their own customized course packets and textbooks and the university's various departments are producing customized materials to market their offerings to potential students. "Every segment is growing," says Tearney.