WHAT IS POD?
Print on demand (POD) is a printing method where books or other documents are not produced until an order is received. This enables economical production of single copies or small quantities without the need for large print runs.
Before digital printing, producing small quantities was challenging. While large print jobs were handled efficiently, limited runs were often done using mimeographs or similar stencil-based machines, which offered low-quality but inexpensive and relatively fast output.
By the 1950s, electrostatic (xerographic) copiers allowed the creation of paper masters for offset presses. In the 1960s, photocopiers capable of reproducing images on plain paper emerged, offering reasonable quality but at high cost and slow speed.
The landscape changed in the early 1990s with the advent of computer-driven, high-speed printers, making it feasible to print single copies of multi-page books. Today, high-resolution machines capable of printing up to 400 pages per minute have expanded POD into new markets, often replacing traditional offset methods. Inkjet technology is now gaining ground over xerography due to its lower cost and efficient operation.
More than thirty years ago, the landscape of the printing industry underwent a significant transformation. The advent of computer-driven, digital production printers marked a pivotal moment, with leading companies such as Xerox, Hewlett Packard, Kodak, Canon, and others introducing these cutting-edge technologies. Not since Chester Carlson's pioneering invention of xerography in 1938 had such a groundbreaking innovation reshaped the printing industry. The industry found itself embroiled in a relentless battle, with an array of proprietary file formats, resolution ratios, toner particle sizes, printing speeds, RIP speeds, halftone screens, and numerous other factors contributing to the chaos.
The machine that made Print-on-Demand possible. The Xerox DocuTech.
In 1991, we were the first to invest in a new, state-of-the-art monochrome printer from Xerox called DocuTech - the original digital, high-speed production printer. This new machine was a gigantic laser printer driven by a computerized front end. We eventually added some pretty sophisticated asset management tools and, before we knew it, we had one of the very first completely digital printing systems. As a matter of fact, the next closest installation was an insurance company in North Carolina. It was a huge risk - we had just made a deliberate commitment to Print-on-Demand and found ourselves on the cutting edge of a printing revolution.
As pioneers in this revolution, we had to prove our firm grasp on our newfound capability before we could offer it to our clients. So, after months of beta-testing along side Xerox (their tech-reps were onsite with our staff for several weeks) we began educating a few select customers about the concept of printing-on-demand. We demonstrated the value and cost-effectiveness of just-in-time delivery, the benefits of replacing their document inventories, and basically showing them a brand new way to approach buying printed material. All the while, we were just starting to realize the true potential of our investment.
Thirty-plus years later, we are still on the cutting edge and our dedication to POD is as strong as ever. The dozens of production processes, web-enabled tools, workflows, printers, finishing devices, and customer service have shown our clients the dedication we have to POD. Today, we partner with training organizations, manufacturers, publishers, universities, and others to produce their manuals, instruction guides, training documents, catalogs, and classroom text on-demand.
