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Meaning & use

print on demand

phrase, adjective·Advancedbusiness

Last updated

UK/ˌprɪnt ɒn dɪˈmænd/
US/ˌprɪnt ɑːn dɪˈmænd/

Meanings

  1. phrasefixed phrasebusiness

    A way of producing books or other items only after a customer orders them, so no copies are stored in advance.

    Grammar: Used after a verb or as a modifier: 'published print on demand', 'a print-on-demand publisher'.

    Patterns

    • publish something print on demand
    • available print on demand
    • a print-on-demand service

    The small press publishes its poetry titles print on demand, so nothing sits in a warehouse.

    With print on demand, a single copy can be made the same day someone orders it.

    Their print-on-demand service keeps old textbooks in circulation for years.

  2. adjectivebefore a nounbusiness

    Relating to a system in which goods, especially books, are made only when ordered.

    Grammar: Comes before the noun and is usually written with hyphens: 'print-on-demand publishing'.

    Patterns

    • print-on-demand publishing
    • a print-on-demand model

    Print-on-demand publishing has made it cheap for unknown authors to sell paperbacks.

    The company switched to a print-on-demand model to cut storage costs.

Common combinations

print on demand service
The website offers a print on demand service for self-published authors.
print on demand publishing
Print on demand publishing lets a book stay for sale forever.
available print on demand
The novel is still available print on demand from the original publisher.
a print on demand model
Moving to a print on demand model reduced their waste.
publish something print on demand
She decided to publish her cookbook print on demand rather than pay for a big print run.

Synonyms and how they differ

made to order
Broader: it describes anything produced after an order, not only printed books or media.
on-demand printing
Nearly the same, but focuses on the printing process itself rather than the whole business system.

Opposites

offset printingmass production

Word family

POD abbreviation
The short form of print on demand, common in publishing and business writing.
print run noun
The number of copies printed at one time, the opposite idea to printing one at a time.

Commonly confused: print on demand or on demand?

print on demand vs on demand

'On demand' alone means 'whenever someone asks for it' and is used for films, hot water and services; print on demand is the specific publishing system.

Practice

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