print on demand (redirected from Print-to-order)

print on demand

The ability to print a pamphlet, manual or book in small quantities as requested, even just one at a time. The printing is done from the computer rather than the traditional offset printing process. Print on demand is environmentally sound because hundreds of thousands of unsold, new books are destroyed annually. In addition, publishers no longer need to maintain a large physical inventory of titles, which translates into huge cost savings.

The Benefits
Print on demand allows every book ever published to be available in the future, and it allows new authors to be published more easily. It prevents wonderful books from ever going out-of-print due to low demand. Using on-demand equipment, a complete, finished hardcover book can be created from scratch in less than 20 minutes. See digital printing.