Hot Off the Press - Print on Demand Franchise!
Hot Off the Press - Print on Demand Franchise!
What advice do you have to help me grow my idea?
Idea Description
Create a new kind of bookstore with no stock just a print-on-demand book printing digital press that is linked to a repository of digital books via the Internet. You browse the catalog using terminals in the store while you have a coffee and muffin or do it from home and order your book for pickup from the store. Every night the latest top 100 books are downloaded to the POD printer in the store to "refresh" the local inventory. Hot off the press! Brilliant franchise opportunity.
What will you do if you win $10,000 for this idea?
Develop the franchise model with a major book retailer such as Amazon (USA) or Waterstone's (UK)
Vote for it now.
I'm not sure if this is what you are referring to but the Tate Gallery in London has on-demand artwork poster printers that churn out great reproductions. AFAIK most POD printers only do perfect binding but I'm not an expert. I think what I'm suggesting here is a hybrid model that combines printed books (tactile etc) with digital repositories. It's easy to imagine that this could encourage more specialist bookstores (because no slow moving inventory to carry). Also there's the satisfaction of smelling your newly printed book just like a fresh croissant...
This is a great idea. It would eliminate a lot of the embodied energy of books from storing and transporting them. I think binding may be a problem. I'm currently working with a company that does on-demand printing for wide format art reproductions on paper and canvas with Museums. Have you seen the new "e ink" book display devices?