It is wise to use print on demand when you just starting, meaning printing only when there is an order. There are companies that provide print on demand, but the unit price is higher than traditional printing your books in high quantities. You may use publishing on demand by allowing your customers to download your book to their computer.
There are benefits to Print On Demand technology also known as publishing on demand when you plan to market your book to the public. There are not many book printing companies that welcome small press runs of less than 500 copies.
A major part to any book production is the preparation of the text and cover negatives. Traditional printing will require that the pages be arranged in signature consisting of 8, 16 or 32 pages each. The advantage of having this film is when you have sold all your books from the first run and are ready to print again while having the prep work taken care of.
Print On Demand doesn’t use film negatives for the text or the cover. The best arrangement for this type of prep is a digital file, preferably PDF or Postscript files because they go straight to the imagesetter which is a high resolution computer output device.
The pages are not imposed in a traditional signature, but will be output one or two pages up on a sheet, collated and bound as a book.
Try Print On Demand with small run when you just starting or want to distribute the book inexpensively. Print On Demand is similar to a copy machine, but the quality is far greater and the book looks like any other on the shelf. However, you should try to print with larger sizes of paper to lower page count in order to lower the production cost of printing.
You may also print the book on your own laser printer, and then take them to a binding company and paying for binding services. This system especially works if you have a large 8 ½ x 11 manual that goes in a 3-ring binder. You can have these manuals printed at a high-speed copy shop. This approach is particularly useful when you have an opportunity to sell small number of high-priced information product such as home-study course or user manual.
In the beginning of your business, it is advisable to put most of your money into marketing and not inventory. Print your books on manual 8 ½ x 11 format drilled with three holes and insert it into a three-ring binder. Next, insert a color cover in the clear plastic sleeve of the notebook.
Printing on single sided papers creates a higher perceived value and makes it easier for your customers to use. Adding a color cover greatly increases the professional look, while adding only minimal cost.
You can initially print 10-50 copies, depending on your marketing plan. You can also sell only digital version by converting your Word document to PDF for download, giving the option to your customer to read your book on their computer screen or to print it and place it in a three-ring binder, saving shipping and handling charges.
If you decide to print it, for less than $300 you can buy a full color printer. However, be sure to check out the price of cartridges. For printing text, you will need monochrome printer able to print 600-dpi for high-quality output.
The type of paper you use has a great impact on print quality. Generally, there are three grades of paper available for most printers: plain paper, premium inkjet paper that has whiter, smoother finish, and a photo-quality paper with a glossy surface for printing photos.
For good quality of printing and paper, try laser printer and paper made for laser printers. So whenever you plan to self-publish a book, print on demand can get you to a quick start.
By Paul Ziglar – 2019 – Update 2020
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For additional articles written by Paul Ziglar, see alliedpublishing.com/publishing. Paul Ziglar is the author of Ultimate Guide to Successful Self-Publishing.