Why On Demand?
At that session, representatives of Scitex, Océ Printing, Xerox and IBM discussed the capabilities of their companies' short-run printing solutions and shared success stories of how several publishers turned to print-on-demand.
Technology talk
During his presentation of DemandStream color web and sheetfed presses, David Sigler, director of digital printing and publishing, Océ Printing, Boca Raton, FL, specified what requirements for a digital book press are important: productivity, efficient makeready and setup, low cost-per-impression, format flexibility, image quality and permanence, media flexibility and process integration.
W. Park Rayfield, director of business development for Scitex Digital Printing of Dayton, OH, introduced the VersaMark 90/500 Digital Book Printing System, a new high-volume digital book printing system. VersaMark, he said, boasts the speed of 3,800 ppm for 6 x 9' pages and 2,100 ppm for 8.5 x 11', and a cost of under $5 per 1,000 8.5 x 11' pages, or less than half a cent a page. This enables printing of a 300-page 8.5 x 11' book, said Rayfield, for about $1.30 a page, $1.45 bound (cost of paper included). The system takes both uncoated and coated paper in sizes up to 9 x 12' and sheet sizes up to 20.5 x 12', he said.
Ashley Shemain, industry marketing manager, Xerox, Fairport, NY, reported that his company, which offers DigiPath/DocuTech production solutions and the Book-in-Time solution that extends DocuTech's capabilities, is looking into eventually combining the two systems. Currently, Book-in-Time offers print and Web services, print-on-demand, digital storage of print-ready books; order-entry service and packing and shipping services. By the end of the year, Xerox hopes to offer language translation and digital property rights management services within the system, Shemain revealed.
Citing how three companies, Ingram Book-Lightning Print, Oracle Warehouse and Commerce Clearing House (CCH), used IBM technology to print on-demand, Richard Troksa, director of production printing, IBM Printing Systems, Boulder, CO, said publishers who otherwise may have had to experience up to 40 percent waste are able to eliminate waste and fulfill demand for out-of-print and low-volume books.
