Publishers now enjoy more flexibility in how they print and distribute their products. Increasingly, corporate IT managers will have to weigh up the costs and advantages of rival systems and decide whether to develop in-house publishing capabilities or outsource the work.
PoD requires lower initial production investment and removes the risk of unsold returns.
But despite massive advances, PoD take-up is still in its early stages. The balance is changing. According to CAP, digital printing is expected to grow yearly by 20 percent compared with 4.4 percent for conventional printing. New entrants such as Xeicon and Indigo have launched hardware specifically for colour digital printing. The Internet is restructuring the entire face of our industry.