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Espresso Book Machines now in partnership with Xerox

On Demand Books announced yesterday that it’s adding a little kick to its Espresso Book Machine. The instant book-printing machine, which the New York-based company refers to as “an ATM for books,” will now be using the Xerox 4112 Copier/Printer to print books on demand in a matter of minutes. On Demand and Xerox will be working together to market and sell the product.

The Espresso Book Machine, which was named one of the “Best Inventions of 2007” by Time, is already being used at a number of bookstores around the world, including bookstores at the University of Alberta, McMaster University, the University of Waterloo, and McGill University, plus Titles Bookstore in Hamilton, Ontario. Machines already in stores will not have to be replaced in light of this partnership, and have reported great success and public interest so far. From a University of Waterloo news release last spring:

“The Espresso Book Machine has revolutionized the traditional textbook supply chain for book distribution,” said May Yan, director of [University of Waterloo’s] retail services. “We will be able to offer options to students and faculty that will be cost effective and options for customized textbooks that will never be out of stock. Students will be the main beneficiaries, because the EBM makes it possible to distribute almost every book published, including out-of-print titles, easily and quickly at huge savings.”

The retail price for the latest version, Espresso 2.0, is about $125,000, but it eliminates shipping costs, eradicates returns, and provides students with cheaper, customized textbooks. As Yan suggests, buying a $150 textbook to read only three chapters could become a thing of the past.

To see how the Espresso 2.0 prints, binds, and trims a library-quality book in less than four minutes, check out this video from On Demand’s website.