Blurb, still the go-to service for digitally printing short runs of beautiful books at through-the-nose prices, has just given its cut-rate competitors a coronary by adding offset printing and a warehousing/fulfillment program to its menu. Aimed at those who want to print more than 750 copies of a book and who are willing to wait 6-10 weeks to do it, the offset service promises savings of at least 40% on its traditional print-on-demand offerings. Additional benefits include:
- A free proof copy
- Foil stamping and embossing
- Headband and footband options
- Ribbon markers and custom end sheets
- In region (USA, Canada and Europe) and offshore printing
- The same book sizes and formats offered under its POD scheme.
Additionally, orders of 300 or more books can be stored by Blurb for up to six months for a nominal fee under its “agile fulfillment program,” which sends books directly to customers.
Adding a low-cost book printing option and fulfillment service to a user-friendly print service that already provides a free Adobe InDesign plug-in pretty much makes Blurb the first stop for literal desktop publishers everywhere.
