South African book printer reveals business is booming

While many businesses across the world continue to try and steady themselves in the wake of the global recession, a book printing company in South Africa has revealed that that page has already been turned.

Digital Print Solutions, a Cape Town-based book printer, has recently invested in a new printing machine in order to cope with demand and allow the business to grow further, according to Graphic Repro.

While the purchase of a fourth Océ digital printing system certainly represents good things for the company itself, it could also be interpreted as an encouraging sign for the South African book business in general – the machine has, after all, been brought in to cope with increased demand.

Of particular interest is the machine's ability to cater for the company's Print on Demand books.

The Print on Demand service allows customers to order books prior to print and receive them quickly. It also removes the possibilities for long-term waits on orders and, most importantly, saves on storage space – the books remain digital until someone makes an order.

Print on Demand books could have an impact on the print/e-book debate, with the production of in-print being that much quicker than in the past.

And the new machine is very fast. The Océ VarioPrint 6160 is the first system to offer simultaneous double-sided digital printing. It can produce 171 prints per minute.

Digital Print Solutions’ Dion Martin said that the company had stuck with the printing machine manufacturer on account of the success it had allowed the company to enjoy – success represented by the huge increase in print volumes.

Martin told the news provider: "We started out as a small home business printing a few thousand prints per month - we now produce a few million. In that time Océ has supplied us with equipment as our business has grown."

The "few million" referred to includes a wide variety of genres. The printer's clients include a selection of individual authors, educational establishments, research groups and training providers.

Speaking of this variety, Martin added: "We specialise in servicing the needs of the book publishing industry, printing for some of the largest publishing houses, to the smallest independent publishers.

Source:http://www.londonbookfair.co.uk