[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/bookstore.jpg” caption=”Naj Rauf and Megan Ryan, cashiers at Titles Bookstore, demonstrate how the new print-on-demand machine functions. Photo by Matt Terry.”]Don't you just hate it when you go looking for a book in a bookstore and the last copy has been plucked from the shelf?

Never will you have to experience that pang of disappointment again, at least not in Titles. McMaster University's bookstore has just unveiled a print-on-demand (POD) machine that can spit out a flawless, bound paperback copy that is almost indistinguishable from the original. A 250-page paperback that was used in a test-run of the machine was completed in five minutes.

Of course, if you prefer, Titles can order you in a copy of the book you're looking for, but Titles' Book Operations Manager Mark Lefebvre thinks patrons will prefer to come back within an hour for the POD version.

It is a remarkable machine-it is being referred to as McMaster Innovation Press-that makes Titles one of only three bookstores in the world with a print-on-demand (POD) machine on site. The other two are at the University of Alberta bookstore and the Northshire Bookstore in Vermont.

“This isn't about printing knock-off books,” insists Lefebvre. “All books coming off the machine will either be in the public domain or with the explicit permission of the copyright owners. Do you want an out of print classic that has been virtually impossible to find? We can print it for you. Are you looking to special order a title published in the UK and which normally takes up to six weeks if you place an order for it? We can print that, too.”

A 250-page book takes five minutes to print using the Espresso Book Machine, and the cost to consumers should be no different than the version produced by the publisher.

Publishers and authors will continue to receive a royalty from each book printed.

Donna Shapiro, director of Titles, sees the POD capability as yet another innovative way to save students money.

“Titles is at the forefront in the development of custom courseware as a textbook alternative and we aggressively pursue used books as a cheaper alternative to their new counterparts,” says Shapiro. “With POD, we will now be able to offer another option to professors that will be more cost effective, customizable and offer a very short production turn-around time so that students have the academic materials when they require them, not when the publisher can deliver them.”

The Espresso Book Machine cost US$174,000, and Lefebvre expects to recoup its costs in a year or two of operation.

By January, Titles will have access to more than a million titles available in the POD database, giving it a competitive advantage over large retailers. The average Chapters/Indigo has about 90,000 titles in stock.

With access to more than a million titles available in the POD database, Titles, an independent bookstore owned and run by McMaster University, gains a huge competitive advantage against the big-box stores. As a comparison, the average Chapters/Indigo has about 90,000 titles in stock. With regular author readings and signings, book events, giftware, stationery, computers and a very popular special order service, Titles has evolved into a full-service bookstore, not one dedicated solely to textbooks.

“Sure, Amazon ships in 24 hours for many of their popular titles,” Lefebvre says. “But we'll be able to turn around many special orders in a matter of minutes by printing the book right on the spot. Our customers now have the option to keep their money not only in Canada but also on campus.”

Titles provides funding for student services and scholarships through the Office of Student Affairs. An active member of the Canadian Bookseller Association, Titles has joined the popular Shop Local movement, and will be celebrating CBA Independents' Day with member stores across Canada: several local and McMaster Alumni authors, including Barbara Vedell, Margaret Houghton, Simon Strantzas, Richard Gavin and Eleanor Kosydar, will be in the store on Saturday, Nov. 15 between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. “The Shop Local movement is perfectly fitting for campuses, particularly if you look at issues like campus sustainability,” Lefebvre, a member of CBA's Board of Directors, says. “If you buy a book at Wal-Mart or some other chain retailer, much of the profit from your money exits the Hamilton area and flows to wherever that company's head office is. If you buy a book at Titles, a greater percentage of your money stays to support the McMaster and local community.”

The first book Titles hopes to reprint is one of the first books published in Hamilton-the 1853 City Directory, which is currently in the archives of the Hamilton Public Library. Using Mills' Library's Kirtas APT BookScan, the book would be scanned and created in PDF form, the file then uploaded to the McMaster Innovation Press, which would print trade paperback copies of the book.

McMaster Innovation Press will be available for Faculty members to produce their own academic material in book format, complete with an ISBN. Local authors will also be able to take advantage of the ability to self-publish their work. Even smaller publishers who can't afford the huge investment that printing 500 or 1,000 copies of a book incur can use the services provided by Titles on Demand. Lefebvre also hopes his new Press will allow him to revive the McMaster University Press imprint for academic works.