Google to provide 2 mln digital books for instant printing

Google Inc. agreed on Thursday to open over 2 million public-domain books in its digital library to On Demand Books, a company that makes high-speed automated book-printing machine.

The Espresso Book Machine can print, bind and trim a single- copy library-quality paperback book complete with a full-color paperback cover in a few minutes.

The machine can print a typical book for a total cost of consumables of about 1 U.S. cent per page, according to On Demand Books.

The company said currently there are 1.6 million titles available directly to consumers via the Espresso Book Machine. Its machines are already in use in more than a dozen locations such as bookstores and libraries in the United States, Britain, Egypt, Canada and Australia.

"With the Google inventory the Espresso Book Machine will make it possible for readers everywhere to have access to millions of digital titles in multiple languages, including rare and out of print public domain titles," Jason Epstein, chairman of On Demand Books, said in a statement.

"Instead of the traditional Gutenberg model of centrally producing, shipping and selling, we sell first, then produce. In a matter of minutes you can get a paperback book identical to one you can get in a store at point of sale," noted Dane Neller, the company's chief executive officer.

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