Books printed and bound while you wait
Friday Sep 19, 2008 By Errol Kiong writing in the New Zealand Herald

Bookseller Whitcoulls hopes its new ATM for books will banish the time-consuming - and sometimes expensive - search for rare or out-of-print works.
Its Espresso Book Machine, which it unveiled in Melbourne yesterday, can print and bind a paperback book while the customer waits.

Similar in looks to a standard office photocopier, the machine can churn out a requested book, complete with full-colour cover, in between 7 and 14 minutes. The instant book will retail for around $30, the same price as a standard paperback.

David Fenlon, managing director of the A&R Whitcoulls Group, said the machine - named last year by Time as one of the year's best inventions - greatly increases the range of books available to customers in store.
An outlet typically carries around 20,000 titles, but the machine will allow it to provide up to 10,000 additional titles in the next 18 months.
Initially, however, only a few hundred titles will be available for on the spot printing.

Read the full story at the NZ Herald online.