Expresso Book Machine: The replicator for books

Rich Trenholm | Apr 27, 2009

The Espresso Book Machine prints whole books while you wait. (Credit: Thor Sigvaldason, On Demand Books)

One of our favorite bits of kit from Star Trek is the replicator. You simply walk up to it and announce, "Tea, Earl Grey, hot" or, "Stripper, Puerto Rican, hot" and it conjures your wish out of the air and delivers it to you. If that sounds like your cup of tea--hot-- then head to Blackwell book shop on London's Charing Cross Road for the Espresso Book Machine, which prints whole books while you wait.

Yes, actual, proper books in about 5 minutes--hot. The EBM allows you to browse a catalog of books and print out a bound, trimmed paperback in 5 to 10 minutes. It'll spit out 110 pages per minute, complete with a full-color cover.

Gareth Hardy, head of buying for Blackwell, told us that most of the titles in the catalog so far were out-of-print or out-of-copyright books. Different languages are also in the database. It's perfect for anyone after a hard to find book.

The EBM is also a self-publishing tool. As well as choosing from the catalog, customers can bring in their own PDFs on a USB stick and print out their projects, dissertations or even books they have written. All you need is a PDF of the cover and another PDF of the interior. Blackwells is provisionally planning to charge about 2 pence per page, and you can print as many copies as you like. Once your book is printed, you can choose to leave it on the server for future printing.

An EBM costs about US$100,000 and is, as you can see, a hefty chunk of hardware. But for all that, it's surprisingly simple: A computer for the catalog and software, a Konica Minolta Bizhub 1050ep industrial printer for the interior pages, an inkjet printer for the cover--all of which are off-the-shelf--and a big box of tricks that automatically bind and trim each book. There are only three of the second-generation EBM: Two in Canada and this one in London. There are about a dozen of the 1.0 and 1.5 models, mostly in libraries in the US. Version 2.0 is half the size, breaks into bits for easier transport, and has a more reliable method of binding by gripping the paper safely throughout the whole process.

The computer system includes a level of DRM to follow who has printed what, mainly for the purpose of tracking royalties. Blackwells is planning to integrate the catalog with its Web site, so you'll be able to browse, order and print your book online, then pop in to collect it.

Books will be available at their retail price or on a page rate for those that don't have a retail price.

Thor Sigvaldason, co-founder of On Demand Books, talked us through the printing process.

An average book, of about 300 pages, takes about 7 minutes to print and be bound. After it's bound, it's trimmed and finally delivered into a neat basket. (Credit: Thor Sigvaldason, On Demand Books)

Via Crave UK

Filed under: Gadgets, Printers
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