Ever wanted to print your own book? Ever wanted to buy a book that is out of print or only available from Finland? Of course you have. Well now you can do all this thanks to the Espresso Book Machine (EBM) by On Demand Books (ODB) !

The revolutionary Espresso Book Machine lets you print books on demand just a few minutes. There are currently 15 EBMs in existence in public spaces worldwide. The New York Public library has had one since 2007 and there are others in the USA, Canada, Australia, Egypt and just recently the UK.

The first EBM was installed in Blackwell's Bookshop in London in April. I expect we will be seeing more of them as they are ideal for printing out books you can't find anymore in bookshops.

The books are said to be "library quality" paperbacks that are "identical to books found in a bookshop".

You simpl rorder your book either in person or online or alternatively you can upload it from a CD or flashdrive, in pdf format, and 5 minutes later you are the proud owner foa freshly printed book complete with covers.

The Espresso Book Machine is the creation of On Demand Books (ODB).

It prints, binds and trims paperback books at a rate of 112 pages per minute, including four-color covers, which is the same as normal factory printed books.

I am slightly surprised that not more libraries and bookshops have availed themselves of the opportunity of printing out their own books, but perhaps the $100,000 price tag is putting them off a bit. Personally I don't think that is too expensive and some people may be tempted to set up their own book printing business using the EBM.

The launch of the EBM in the UK will no doubt shake things up a bit in the book-selling world and as Blackwell has over 50 outlets in the UK, including Oxford and Cambridge, I would expect to see more of the machines installed over time.

Blackwell also has plans to set up a distribution channel for smaller publishers and is trying to attract new customers in the form of authors and self publishers who want a chance to see their work in print.

The Espresso Book Machine was included on Time Magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2007” list. A 300-page book can be churned out in 4 minutes (3 minutes for more than one) and the consumables only cost a penny per page (the maximmum book size the EBM can produce is 830 pages). It can now print over 2 million public domain and in-copyright titles.
According to ODB , content is expected to increase significantly as ever more EBMs are installed in bookstores, libraries and other venues across the globe.

So don't delay buy one today and join the publishing revolution !