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Digital book printing overall is experiencing double-digital growth. The recession, although unwelcome in all quarters, has provided a boost to digital book manufacturing as publishers take a harder look at their processes and cut back on inventory and waste. Since digital printing market- and technology-research firm INTERQUEST's last major survey of the market, conducted in late 2007, the industry has seen widening adoption of digital book printing for short-run inventory management, and a growing interest in distribute-and-print to defray shipping costs and cut time to market—as shown in INTERQUEST's recent report, "Digital Book Printing: Market Analysis & Forecast (2010-2015)." A new generation of high-speed inkjet presses is also coming onto the market, promising lower cost, faster production speeds and higher print quality—all of which open the door a bit wider to digital book printing.

(Press Release) Unveiled for the first time at IPEX 2010, the Bolero B9 perfect binding line from Muller Martini features a 13% increase in cycle time, new PUR SPN side glue nozzle and the electrostatic attachment of inserts in the new 3694 rotary gatherer. The Bolero B9 is designed to meet up-to-the-minute perfect binding requirements.

Self-publishing and online services, e-books, and digital demand printing are joined into a new and powerful sector that is transforming the industry. For industry professionals whose career satisfactions and livelihoods are bonded to the future of the book, this new sector offers a wild ride and a venturesome future.

(Press Release) ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 14—Eastman Kodak Company announced today that Jeffrey W. Hayzlett will resign as its Chief Marketing Officer, effective May 28, to pursue personal projects.

(Press Release) MONTREAL, May 4 — Transcontinental is pleased to announce the acquisition of Montreal-based LIPSO, a leading provider of integrated mobile solutions, including connectivity, transaction management (SMS, MMS, etc.) and applications development. As an enhancement to its marketing communications solutions in new media and digital platforms, this purchase adds a number of key services to Transcontinental's marketing communications offering, including cell phone bar code reading, mobile couponing in retail sales, and electronic ticketing in transportation and entertainment.

A friend of mine was diagnosed last year with a brain tumor. She underwent something like 30 days straight of chemo-
therapy. She was temporarily blind, obviously
 extremely sick and, one would think, terrified. But her outlook during the entire process was amazing. She was optimistic, celebrated each small hurdle and kept going, seemingly undaunted by the road ahead of her. She told me that when she was diagnosed with the tumor, she had read a number of books on Kabbalah, and apparently it gave her a new perspective with which to deal with the challenges she was facing.

Whether it says more about recent positive trends or just how awful 2009 was, one thing every printer seems to agree on is that things are looking up in book manufacturing. This, at least, is the consensus among executives interviewed by Book Business as part of its annual assessment of the state of book manufacturing, which includes our list of top North American book printers ranked by book revenue.

Check out the video highlights from the 2010 Publishing Business Conference & Expo, featuring comments from conference chairs Chris Foster, President & COO, GIE Media; Samir Husni, aka "Mr. Magazine" and founder and director of the Magazine Innovation Center; and Clint Greenleaf, president and CEO, Greenleaf Book Group, as well as from other attendees.

Get out your calendar and schedule a regular date to review your production processes and strategies. Routinely taking a fresh look at your workflow can help you to find new opportunities for streamlining workflows, improving efficiencies, lowering costs and identifying new revenue opportunities. Bruce Jensen, vice president of sales at Transcontinental Printing, recently offered the following tips to Book Business Extra readers to help you improve your book production processes.

(Press Release) Venlo, The Netherlands, April 8, 2010—Océ, an international leader in digital document management and printing for professionals, today announced the launch of the Océ Performance Program, an enhanced professional printing program. The launch of the Océ Performance Program is in line with Océ’s new Managed Print Services, announced last month. Focused on optimizing resources in key target areas, the Océ Performance Program promises cost control, enhanced effectiveness, integration of workflow processes and ease of use.