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From the outside looking in, book printing is facing a battle on several fronts. First there's the general state of the print industry; low margins, fierce competition and consolidation. But then there's the rise of disruptive technologies such as Amazon's Kindle e-book reader coupled with the recent high-profile UK launch of the Sony Reader and it's little wonder that there has been a rash of headlines questioning the very future of the printed word.

While this debate continues to rage, the traditional model of long-run books being printed and stored in warehouses is still ticking over, but there are signs that this could be changing. To keep up with the demands of the modern world, book printers are setting up additional services to offer their clients, and the focus of many firm’s efforts is the production of on-demand books.

It’s been the buzzword for some time, but now publishers are beginning to latch on to the idea that there is a market in printing titles in run lengths as low as a single copy and with that print-on-demand can bring out-of-print books onto the market and reduce storage costs.

But it depends on what you define as short-run. While many in the sector argue that you can print in runs as low as a single edition, the model at TJ International, which focuses on short-run scientific, educational and technical books and boasts a turnover of £10m, is different. Chief executive Angus Clark says that it doesn’t print titles in runs lower than nine. It’s a strategy that has served his firm well. "Publishers are certainly more alive to the market now," says Clark. "Some have already shifted away from long-runs while others are operating a combination of the two."

Lightning Source UK is another specialist player in the on-demand market but, unlike TJ International, it is prepared to print a single copy. The company’s UK president David Taylor says that there has been a definite market shift and the proposition’s core is now "the ability to receive an order and print from a digitally held file. ‘Sell book, print book’ replaces ‘print book and then try to sell it’".

Grasping opportunities
A snapshot of the market over the past few months shows that many printers are capitalising on this shift in the market. Start-up on-demand printers and established digital firms are making substantial investments in new equipment targeting this potentially lucrative on-demand sector. And while the publishers may be taking a shine to the business model, they have also spotted the improvement in digital print quality.

"The quality is much higher while the speeds are much faster," adds TJ International’s Clark. "I saw plenty of developments at Drupa, although our next investments won’t be until 2009. Also, I think inkjet has a few years of development to go."

The traditional business model of sending masses of books from the printer to a warehouse, where they will just sit for several weeks or even months, is also changing; the process is slow but publishers are recognising that it is not cost-effective to hoard books that, in some cases, won’t always be sold.

"Publishers are aware that there is a different model," adds Tony Chard, managing director at MPG Books. "There is very much a demand for print-on-demand."

One approach popular among publishers is to reduce the initial print run and, if an additional run is needed, the title can be printed digitally. This doesn’t just reduce runs and storage, but also means the book can be turned around quicker.

"It’s all about speed to market,"  adds Chard. "You print and distribute the product but then come back if you need an additional run. It means you don’t have to spend money on warehousing books. Why should you print 300m books and just send them out to a warehouse?"

Like Lightning Source, MPG Books has entered the on-demand arena, but there the similarities end, according to Chard. While the company prints book runs from around 10,000 to as low as a single copy, the on-demand model differs as it is only available to publishers that take advantage of MPG’s overall service; it’s not a print-on-demand only company.

"We are looking at the lifecycle of the product," says Chard, and this stretches beyond just on-demand books. MPG’s offer goes into archiving, fulfilment, direct delivery to stores and the printing of mailshots. "These are added-value services," adds Chard. "t’s about saving time and money from the supply chain. That’s why we are doing it. However, you can have the print-on-demand capabilities, but if you don’t have the fulfilment service it all falls apart."

Adding value
Fulfilment and stock management are two areas where MPG feels it really adds value for publishers. "The fulfilment itself is quite straightforward," says Chard. "The clever bit is the way you interact with the customer."

MPG dispatches electronic notifications to departments within the client’s operation. For example, when a product is dispatched, the relevant information is sent to a publisher’s sales and marketing and customer services department.

Alongside that, the company is also offering additional print services around the launch of a book. MPG has taken further advantage of its digital equipment by printing highly personalised full-colour mailshots. It might still be print but it moves the company away from pure book printing. Such has been the success of the digital equipment that MPG plans to buy a new HP Indigo press in mid-October.

Cambrian Printers has also splashed out on equipment to service this area. The quality of digital print has come on leaps and bounds over the past few years, making investments in this area easier to justify, according to Cambrian sales development director Carrick Wilkie. "At Cambrian we have embraced both ends of the spectrum. We now offer both mono and colour digital book printing as well as every form of limp binding in-house," he explains.

Like MPG, Cambrian recognises that there is more to being a book printer than just print. The ability to offer traditional finishing techniques, in addition to more value-added investments, also form a key part of any firm’s offer; because it believes bringing as much as you can in-house also helps any publisher get its book to market faster.

"We invested in sewing as our clients were demanding it and we have already won a contract from The Open University because we can offer the whole package from digital to multi-colour litho," adds Wilkie. "                                                  We now also offer a mailing service, in bulk or personalised form, direct to the end client."

Of course, not everything can be done in-house – Cambrian, for example, has forged a partnership with a binding company for special jobs – but there is a recognition in the market that book printers need more strings to their bows.

Adding as much value to any book printing firm’s offer is as pertinent now as it has ever been. The collapse of book printing stalwart Butler and Tanner (which was subsequently bought out of administration and rebranded Butler, Tanner and Dennis) provided an example to everyone of the rocky times the sector is experiencing and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone suggesting that all’s well right now, but that hasn’t stopped printers launching a fightback.

 "The market is contracting but we are trying to defend ourselves against being a commoditised product," says MPG’s Chard. "All of the value-added services we provide have helped to retain work in the UK."

Chard adds that while supermarkets are under pressure to source locally, publishers should come under the same scrutiny. It’s not just about keeping the print British – there are also environmental issues to consider because it isn’t good for a publisher’s carbon footprint if print is sourced from as far a field as China, for example.

With publishers coming under increasing pressure from customers to ensure their products are as green and clean as possible, it’s little surprise that they are turning to the low wastage alternative of on-demand printing. Add to that an extended service incorporating direct delivery, in-house finishing and the creation of marketing print, book printers should be able to capitalise by offering an "everything under one roof" proposition.

At a time when the market is battling to make money, offering a wide range of services should help to bolster dwindling margins and may help to hold off the threat of hand-held digital alternatives for a while longer.