What is Print On Demand (POD)

Finding a good definition of print on demand is not easy for two reasons:

- Many publishers are already familiar with digital printing for books or magazines and may refer to this as POD.

- It is difficult to define the production processes which adequately describe POD.

Even though digital printing is an integral part of what POD offers, the fact that POD is not just digital printing must be clarified. It must also taken into account that a short run production will not always be digital as the market can offer other non-digital solutions to this requirement. Therefore Publidisa considers a digital print on demand production to have the following characteristics and integrate the following services:

- The digital creation of the publication to be produced and its storage on a support that makes its transportation and use possible.

- The production of the digital publication on a machine capable of producing short print runs in a short supply time. It should be possible to personalise the production, so that each copy is slightly different than the all the others produced.

- The digital storage of the production for later reprinting and supply in a short space of time.

- Online remote management for publication quotes, ordering first time production and management of subsequent reprints.

- The delivery of the POD production to the points where demand exists, as indicated by the publisher.

Finally, the POD publication will be exactly the same as that produced by traditional production methods.