Print-on-Demand Printing Knowledge

Print-on-Demand

When using conventional printing methods, the primary reason for having a large quantity of printed materials on hand is cost. The cost per printed piece decreases as the volume increases when using conventional printing equipment. Printing a large quantity can be very economical as long as the entire quantity of printed documents are used, but what if the content of the document must be revised while there is still a large quantity of the original print application left in stock? The remaining documents would be of no use and would have to be destroyed, creating waste and making a potentially economical print application much more costly.

Print-on-Demand (POD) digital printing changes the conventional workflow by eliminating the requirement of having large quantities of documents warehoused to ensure a continual flow will occur. Print-on-Demand is a commonly used name for many digitally printed applications, but it is also a trademark of Cygnus Business Media.

With a print-on-demand workflow, the printed piece does not have to be produced until a request for the document is initiated. This is due to the ease in which printed items are produced with a fully digital workflow. The expense of producing large inventories and warehousing them is eliminated. The price per printed piece is the same for any quantity when using digital equipment. If the content of a print application must be changed suddenly, there are usually no worries about what to do with vast quantities of obsolete documents that are warehoused and must be destroyed. Print-on-demand reduces waste, reduces inventory, and is very cost effective for short run applications. The digital printing process is such that almost any project printed with digital equipment could be considered an on-demand application.

Print-on-Demand can be used for a
variety of digitally printed applications including: