Newsletter Archive: Commercial and Internet Printers May 2019

Capitalizing on Book Publishing Opportunities with Canon Solutions America’s New Book Smart Suite

The definition of a book has evolved over time, specifically in terms of what it means to produce a printed and bound book on-demand, either as a book-of-one or in the appropriate quantities. After all, what is a printed book other than a stack of paper sheets bound together in one fashion or another? The book’s content is obviously important, but even some virtually content-less objects are produced in book form (think blank-ruled notebooks and sketchbooks).

Although all of the documents outlined in the following table share book-like attributes, they are very different in terms of their purpose. Savvy print service providers can leverage their production investments by printing multiple types of applications across the bound-document segment.

What’s the Opportunity?

According to Keypoint Intelligence—InfoTrends’ U.S. Digital Production Printing Application Forecast, books are currently the largest application for digital printing. With impressions expected to increase from 78 billion in 2017 to over 110 billion in 2022, books are leading the digital production printing transition. High-speed inkjet technology updates, increased market education, and complementary workflow integration largely account for this growth.

On-Demand Technology Creates Demand!

Early print-on-demand book production sites often used toner-based, cutsheet digital printing technologies for the interior book block as well as the cover, although some used roll-fed toner devices to create the book blocks and paired them to cutsheet production technologies for covers. These digital production sites enabled publishers to print books in small quantities for purposes such as proof copies, niche titles, university course packs, and back catalog production. The on-demand model created a range of new opportunities for self-published writers, trainers, educators, consultants, and other content developers. With the help of online providers, these authors could upload and sell their work without investing in printed inventory. This model also piqued the interest of publishers, who realized they could personalize and repurpose content in a variety of ways—electronically and in print.

The role of on-demand book printing greatly expanded over the past decade with the introduction of high-speed monochrome and color inkjet web-fed printing systems. While toner-based color and monochrome roll-fed printing systems are still sometimes used for on-demand book printing, inkjet systems have had a revolutionary effect that is truly extending the reach of the on-demand book printing market. The speed capabilities and productivity of inkjet systems have made it possible to print larger quantities at competitive costs while also embracing the values of digital printing (e.g., quick turnaround, personalization, just-in-time production, and on-demand printing).

Let’s Talk about Workflow!

Taking advantage of the opportunities that the book production market has to offer requires a book production workflow that is flexible and scalable enough to fit your needs. Without this type of workflow, commercial printers will have production silos and inefficient communication gaps between systems. This is where Canon Solutions America’s Book Smart Suite comes into play. The Book Smart Suite enables commercial printers interested in book manufacturing to efficiently print books from start to finish whether they are monochrome or color, one-off or several. For printers that have experienced an increase in print-on-demand or one-off book requests, the Book Smart Suite provides an answer. This automated, end-to-end solution is designed to help you add valuable service offerings and increased flexibility without interrupting existing workflows. Scalable options mean that the suite can be tailored to your needs today while also remaining flexible enough to grow with you tomorrow.