Legal Research

Univ. of Michigan Installs Espresso Book Printing Machine

The University of Michigan Shapiro Library is the first university library to install the Espresso Book Machine. The book print machine produces paperback books on demand. From the press release:

The book machine, located in the Shapiro Library lobby on U-M's Central Campus, prints out-of-copyright books from the University's digitized collections. At a cost of about $10 per book, the service is available to researchers, students and the public.

The printing process begins with a reader selecting a digitized book from U-M's pre-1923 collection or from another online source, such as the Open Content Alliance. Most books printed prior to the early 1920s can be reprinted without seeking the permission from whomever holds the copyright. Then the file is downloaded to the Espresso Book Machine, where it is formatted, printed and perfect bound with a four-color cover.

A finished printed book takes 5-7 minutes, depending on the number of pages.

A short video about the Espresso project accompanies the U-M press release. See also my earlier post about the Espresso machine.

Thanks to my colleague, Bill Ebbott, for the tip.

Full post as published by WisBlawg - From the UW Law Library on September 22, 2008 (boomark / email).