Definition: Print on demand (POD) refers to digital printing technology that allows one or two copies of a book to be printed at a time, dispensing with the expense of warehousing books. It also allows a publisher or author to have books printed only as they are ordered, which means that at the end of the year, a publisher doesn't face costly returns from bookstores. In recent years the quality of print-on-demand books has improved to the point that there is little difference between them and the average traditional print book.
Because POD costs more per book, it makes sense mostly for small presses, vanity presses, and authors interested in self-publishing. Larger presses, who've already invested in warehouses and who can absorb returns of unsold books, continue to use traditional printing methods.
Examples: Print-on-demand publishing combined with the internet as a marketing tool has democratized the publishing industry: it's much easier to self-publish and self-market today than ever before.
