Ingram Content Group is partnering with Edelweiss, the parent company of Above the Treeline, to create print-on-demand catalogues for publishers. ATT CEO John Rubin sees three markets for the POD service: publishers who have moved mainly to digital catalogues, but have accounts that would prefer print; publishers who still use print catalogues, but would like to eliminate overprinting; and international publishers.
Under the partnership, Edelweiss has developed a new interface that will allow publishers to create their own templates that will enable them to develop customized catalogues. "We've heard of a lot of cases where sales reps print out copies of their catalogues for certain accounts, but this will give a more polished look to those efforts, " Rubin says. Once a publisher creates a catalogue, Ingram will print it from the plant closest to the intended recipients and also handle distribution.
Initial interest has been strong for the service, according to Kelly Gallagher, v-p of content acquisition North America for Ingram, particularly for the customized option. "The days of large catalogues are gone, but publishers still have areas where customized catalogues are still needed, " he notes. There are no minimums or limits to the number of copies Ingram can print. Pricing is still being finalized for the new service, which is expected to go live this summer.
