Print-On-Demand vs Offset Printing Which Is Better (with Examples)

Prints) Print-On-Demand vs Offset Printing: Which Wins? This is a guest post by Jessica Ruscello, a copywriter at Blurb, Inc. Jessica is also a writer, teacher, and photographer who makes her mark with empty coffee cups, ink spills, and red lipstick.The last ten years- even the last five- have seen game-changing developments in printing technology. Even if print-on-demand has been around longer than that, we’re now seeing these digital machines produce exquisite quality (depending on which service you use). Advanced inkjet technology now creates pages and covers that are nearly identical to those created with traditional offset printing, offering incredible advantages to self-publishers.How can you make sure you're getting the most return out of it? Let's find out.How print-on-demand works (in 6 steps)Choose your format. From coffee-table books to magazines to trade paperbacks, print-on-demand is compatible with any format you’d find in a bookstore. The more copies you order, the more cost-effective customization becomes (hi gher volume order makes it possible to try different endsheets, ribbon markers, or cover styles). That said, standard commercial sizes and papers are readily available across printers.Create a properly formatted book file. Your PDF (or another print-ready file) will stay with the printer and can be called up any time an order is placed for your book.List your book on major bookselling sites. You can do this using a â€Å"print-on-demand distributor† like KDP Print (for Amazon), IngramSpark, or Blurb.Every time someone orders your book, the order is sent to the printer. Digital printers print and assemble your book all in one place.The book is shipped to the retailer, who forwards it to your reader. In some cases, the customer will be able to get the print book in under one hour!Your reader pays the retailer. Your retailer will then send the net revenue to you (after deducting printing costs and retailer discounts- read more about these below). 100+ Client Services Pricing - $16.00/copy (Not including taxes or shipping) 1000 Copies Offset Printing - $7.50 /copy (Includes approximate shipping to US)Don’t overlook offset printing because of the large upfront costs, and don’t overlook print-on-demand, which offers greater speed, quality, and innovation than what has been available at any other time in print history. Whichever one's better for your project, there's no doubt that print-on-demand has done so many exciting things for book-makers, creating more options for beautiful end products.Have you tried offset printing on one of your books? What has been your experience with print-on-demand so far? Leave your thoughts (as well as any questions for Jessica) in the comments below.