Ben Roberts examines whether the new Espresso book printer means we’ll all be printing out books on demand.

The Espresso printing machine aims to help resurrect out of print books, as well as giving new authors a cheap, quick way to self-publish. But will this turn out be a novelty, or could it prove to be the salvation of the printed book?

Everyone seems to be talking about the Kindle or Sony Reader – devices that threaten to do away with paper and have us all reading from portable display screens. But while that particular invention seems to signal the end of the traditional book, there's another technological advance that could be its salvation.

Print on demand

The Espresso is a vending machine that can print, glue and bind a 500-page book in seven minutes. The company behind the machine, On Demand Books, hopes that we will all get used to the idea of browsing an online directory of books, making a choice, swiping our credit card and waiting while the book is put together. With the machine able to produce full-colour laminated covers and detailed illustrations, its makers say it will be virtually impossible to spot an Espresso-made book from one made more conventionally.

Obviously there are hurdles to overcome. The Espresso looks like one of those IT boxes that have invaded British pubs, and threatens to turn every printed book into a pristine object devoid of history. But it represents a compromise between the traditional book form and the much-vaunted e-book, and at around a penny per page it’s cheap. The machine’s developers also believe that the online catalogue will allow more obscure books to be found and printed, alongside the established bestsellers.

Self-publishing

The other application for the Espresso, when the hardware comes down in price, is self-publishing. On Demand Books believe a desktop book-printer for the home, the Espresso Mini, could be ready in five years. Self-publishing has a poor reputation, since it often comes down to authors paying for consignments of books that never get sold. At its worst, it's a form of vanity publishing, a last resort for work that has failed to impress anyone at a 'real' publisher. But at its best it’s a way of propagating material that has value outside the market, or that means something to just a few people. The old saying goes that “everyone has a book inside them”; soon, thanks to the Espresso, everyone will be able to get that book out into the world.

With the first twenty-five machines due to be installed in American libraries later this year, its makers say the Espresso proves that new technology can actually increase the numbers of ‘traditional’ books. In an age when almost any old book can be ordered online and delivered within days, it remains to be seen whether the Espresso – with its pristine, perhaps soulless copies - can provide anything more than novelty value.

The first machine in the UK

Blackwell announced that the first Espresso Book Machine to be installed in a bookshop in the UK will be unveiled at its flagship store, 100 Charing Cross Road, London on April 27, 2009. Customers will be able to select a book from a huge library of titles, and print it in less than 5 minutes from a digital file onsite, online at www.blackwell.co.uk, or uploaded in person from CDs or flash drives. Prices will match those currently instore.