PDF is also becoming a printing format because it recreates a exact image of a digitally created page with typefaces, photos and spacing, regardless of whether the reader has the fonts or software that created the original files or not. Digital files can be placed on CD-ROM or DVD disks. Print On Demand Previously books were printed in long runs on offset presses that required expensive makeready time. With the development of the Xerox DocuTech, a toner-based digital printer, software companies began printing manuals on these machines to deal with the problem of rapidly changing content as software revisions occurred. Rather than printing large runs that were often outdated due to revisions, software companies turned to the DocuTech and others such as the IBM InfoPrint 4000, to print short runs quickly.
POD is here to stay.
Lightning Source, formerly Lightning Printing, printed their one-millionth POD book in July, has over 10,000 titles in its digital library, and works with over 600 publishers. Publishers, such as Random House, the largest U.S. publisher, are rapidly digitizing their backlist and formatting new books as e-books. Internet Publishing Dozens of Internet companies devoted to publishing have sprung up. Smaller publishing businesses number in the hundreds. An industry in flux presents opportunities.