Print-on-demand hardware may dip under $100K

A New York company plans to become the first to offer an automated book printing machine for under $100,000. The innovation could put the printing of perfect-bound out-of-print and niche titles within the reach of self-publishers and small publishers.

3BillionBooks, Inc. (3BB) has designed a totally automatic printer that can produce between 15 and 20 "library quality" paperbacks per hour. The company says it has three patents on the machine and has applied for four more.

The company says it's developing technology for a digital library that would reside in numerous locations, and ensure the proper titles are in a compatible format, along with appropriate licenses, rights and encryption. The company plans to do business in the United States and Europe, but plans to make the thrust of its efforts outside the U.S. in order to bypass the controversies in the U.S. relating to digital rights.

3BB also wants to develop multiple language content for its digital library, and distribute English and other "important" language content, to leverage the global nature of its long-term distribution plans.

3BillionBooks was founded by Jason Epstein and Michael Smolens, who were profiled in a 2001 story in New York Review of Books.

More information is available by contacting:
Michael L. Smolens
Chairman & CEO
3BillionBooks, Inc.
360 East 72nd St. #C3104
New York, NY 10021 USA
Tel: 1-917-742-0158
Fax: 1-208-275-4193
Email: MLsmolens@aol.com
http://www.3billionbooks.com/




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