31-12-2013, 07:16 PM
(This post was last modified: 31-12-2013, 07:17 PM by camallison.)
Many of these so-called "vanity publications" are printed using the technology called "print on demand" where, once the book is in digital form, print runs as low as one off can be done. That one costs no more than each copy of a print run of, say 1,000. Modern methods run almost like photocopy machines, even going so far as to crop, fold, and bind. I had a volume printed of a family heirloom - scanned (even in the three quarter-open state), corrected for that, and a short run of 16 was done. The original was a maiden aunt's field sketch book - she was a botanist. As there were 16 descendants, this was the only way we could each have a copy. The original we donated to her university library archive. They in turn have had a print made from our software file and the original is safely held in an air-conditioned archive.
The technique for scanning (and correcting) old books that cannot be fully opened was developed by Xerox UK and only 16 machines were ever built. These are now heavily employed by the British Library, enabling us (the common man) to access priceless tomes without damaging the original.
Apart from the cost of scanning, the cost of print on demand is within easy reach for the individual.
Colin
The technique for scanning (and correcting) old books that cannot be fully opened was developed by Xerox UK and only 16 machines were ever built. These are now heavily employed by the British Library, enabling us (the common man) to access priceless tomes without damaging the original.
Apart from the cost of scanning, the cost of print on demand is within easy reach for the individual.
Colin
