Print on Demand: Is it Right for You?

When you hear the word print on demand what comes to your mind? You’ll probably say ‘on demand printing’, ‘fast turnaround time” or ‘small quantity printing’. Well, you are right. Print on demand is a printing technology that allows you to print small quantities of documents at affordable price and in a short period of time. The market for this kind of printing technique took a while to develop and a while for the technology to improve.

A few years back when e-books were on the rise, many thought that the publishing industry would be changed forever. But as years passed, it seemed that people were not yet ready to give up their ink and paper books. Some people still prefer books that they can hold and read at the comfort of their bed or veranda. This is where POD technology came in. It allowed many authors to publish their work and offer readers with less expensive books.

There are many advantages of print of demand technology. In general, getting published with this technology is very easy. Publishing is also quick usually around seven to ten days. POD also allows you to test the market at little cost. Little or no money is needed to be invested in inventory maintenance and insurance. There is no fear of overstocking and no missed sales due to tight deadlines. On top of this, you can do last minute changes that are not allowed in the traditional publishing process.

But of course, there is also the downside. For one, you will find it difficult to have your book purchased, reviewed and placed in bookstores. And with POD publishing you would perhaps have lower sales since most retailers won’t carry POD books.

Hence, before you avail of POD technology you have to ask yourself whether it is the right choice for you. If you want to control the layout of your book or you have a marketing vehicle for your book, then this may be the right option for you. Additionally, if you know that your book is so specialized that it won’t get picked up by a conventional publisher or you don’t want to go through years of submissions and rejection from conventional publishers then go ahead and avail of this printing technology.