Short Run Digital Book Printing

Short run printing (often referred to as digital book printing) allows the author or publisher to print a smaller volume of books at higher prices that they can sell or use for book marketing.   The general rule is books will be printed digitally if the run is going to be from 20-500 books.  The per book price for the book will depend on the actual number of books, the trim size, the paper type and the page count.  Digital book printing uses toner and not ink, just like the printers used in most homes and offices.  The price is going to be higher than if you print offset, but it still may be the correct method of book printing to use.

Quality

The quality of a digitally printed book will vary greatly from printer to printer and it is very important to find a printed that specializes in producing digitally printed books.  If a book printer specializes in digitally printed books, the quality they offer as well as the price will be much better than a print shop that just prints books as a side part of their business.  A lay person will not be able to tell the difference between a well produced digital book and an offset printed book.  There are plenty of book printers out there, use one that is a specialist.

Cost

The price for digital printing has gone down as the technology has improved.  However, on a per unit basis, it will still be much more expensive to print the book digitally then offset.  That is why it is important to have a plan in place on how the book is going to be marketed and sold before the printing decision is made.   Book printing is an important part of the overall publishing process and determining the best method often can help the book be a success.  Printing 200 books at a higher price may be a good place to start, if so, digital book printing is where the focus should be.