Print on Demand (POD) is a printing process that allows publishers, authors and companies to do smaller runs of books and other print projects very cost-efficiently, and you only have to order the exact number that you need. POD involves digital printing versus traditional offset printing. Offset printing is a much longer process involving offset presses and press plates with a longer setup time, which requires large runs to reduce overall make ready costs.
With digital printing, digital files are transferred from a computer directly to digital presses for printing—no plates or color-correcting make readies are required. Digital presses have the capability of producing a quantity of one, if you’d like to see the finished product before the printing is completed.
High definition digital presses are simply the best in quality when it comes to digital printing. HP Indigo presses offer 7-color printing, including white ink, an IndiChrome ink mixing process, as well as rich, defined black text. This enables high quality printing of 4-color photos, black and white halftones and screens on coated and uncoated cover and text stocks.
Some of the advantages of POD are:
- It’s fast!
There is less set up and quicker turnaround times. With POD, there are no expensive printing plates to be made and very little setup is required. That means less waste and less time, which is a cost savings for you. - Less Expense Upfront
Publishers, authors and companies can order smaller quantities of books and other printing projects to test them out in the marketplace, or for purposes that may not require larger runs. This lowers upfront project costs and reduces or eliminates inventory obsolescence and the need for warehousing or storage space. With POD, publishers and authors can also expand their offerings to include titles that may not have a wide audience, but there is still a demand for, without the investment of having to do a larger run. - Reduces Shipping and Inventory Costs
With POD, the printing company typically ships direct to the end customer. This eliminates the cost of shipping a pallet or several boxes to the publisher, author or company only to have them turn around and have to ship orders out to their end customers. It also eliminates the need for storage space and warehousing.
Print on Demand affords the luxury of special coatings and laminations such as gloss, soft touch and matte. Layflat is also available in gloss, soft touch, and matte. Add some extra protection to your publication by using a UV coating such as gloss, satin or even a pattern.
After all of the pages are printed for the publication. The next step is binding and finishing. There are an array of binding and finishing options to choose from. Most finishing lines include:
- EVA Perfect
- PUR Perfect
- Wire-O
- Drilling
- Square Back
- Saddle Stitch
- Plastic Coil
- Shrink wrap
Spectra is a firm believer in leading edge technology and our printing presses are at the top of the list. Our HP Indigo presses provide some of the best quality available in digital printing and are exceptional at handling POD. Your projects are our priority, so contact us today! We look forward to working with you.
