Xerox Corp. Selling Espresso Book Machine

ROCHESTER, NY—The on-demand book production machine that caught the printing world's attention when it was released several years ago now has name recognition in its corner. Xerox Corp. announced that it will now market, sell or lease and service the Espresso Book Machine, which prints, binds and trims bookstore-quality paperbacks with color covers in minutes.

The expanded sales and service model builds on a strategy announced earlier this year, where Xerox worked with On Demand Books—the company that created the system—to equip it with the Xerox 4112 copier/printer. The Espresso will be available through Xerox in early 2011.

"The on-demand book publishing market has expanded, and so has our support of this solution," said Eric Armour, president, Graphic Communications Business Group, Xerox Corp. "Xerox’s involvement has moved far beyond the print engine—we are now helping retailers, bookstores, libraries and universities build a profitable on-demand book publishing business."

The Espresso Book Machine’s print-at-retail model, which includes the EspressNet software system developed by On Demand Books, connects machines to a vast repository of content, allowing consumers to access millions of copyrighted, public-domain and self-published books in a matter of minutes.

"The full sales and service support of Xerox, as well as a leasing option, will transform this technology and make it readily available worldwide," added Dane Neller, CEO of On Demand Books. "Consumers will have more choices, booksellers will have more titles with no increase in inventory and publishers will have a new sales channel."

Xerox will showcase the Espresso Book Machine at Graph Expo in Chicago starting on Sunday. The company will occupy booths 400 and 600.