When looking through Amazon - What does Print On Demand mean- next to the title?

Sorry- if this sounds like a dumb question - but I really don't believe that if I order a book that says PRINT ON DEMAND - they will stop the presses & print a book for little old me.

Instead of printing 1000 or 5000 books, the publisher will print a book whenever someone orders it. They use this method for books where they might not have enough sales to justify a full print run.

I believe they use special printers that will copy and bind the book, as opposed to a press.

Janet

Print on demand with digital technology is used as a way of printing items for a fixed cost per copy, regardless of the size of the order. While the unit price of each physical copy printed is higher than with offset printing, the average cost is lower for very small print runs, because setup costs are much higher for offset printing.

POD has other business benefits besides lower costs (for small runs):

Technical set-up is usually quicker than for offset printing.
Large inventories of a book or print material do not need to be kept in stock, reducing storage, handling costs, and inventory accounting costs
There is little or no waste from unsold products.

These advantages reduce the risks associated with publishing books and prints and can lead to increased choice for consumers. However, the reduced risks for the publisher can also mean that quality control is less rigorous than usual.

Thanks for asking! That's my learned item for today!

Thank you soooo much - it was driving me crazy just wondering

Thanks for the info. I learned something today I didn't know.