Georgetown Terminal Warehouses (GTW) in Georgetown Ont. has stepped beyond its traditional distribution services and into print-on-demand publishing in a partnership with Illinois-based Publishers’ Graphics.
GTW president Brenda Sisnett says that her company has been working toward this goal with Publishers’ Graphics for a couple of years. Initially, printing was done in the U.S. and the books were shipped across the border, but now GTW has installed the equipment required to print in Canada. Even though GTW is a customs broker, Sisnett says printing books in Canada means they will be able to get books to clients faster. “Speed to market is really crucial,” she says.
The new equipment is only intended for small print runs of about 300 books or less. Sisnett says that GTW may still rely on Publishers Graphics’ for books with a lot of color and as a backup in case of problems in Georgetown.
Print-on-demand services are useful for both publishing houses and self-publishing authors, says Sisnett. “You don’t have to print so many copies, and you don’t have to have your money tied up in inventory, which is the great advantage. Another benefit is that the market for a book can be tested with sample copies from a small run," she adds.
We value this new partnership and are excited to bring our prinitng expertise to GTW and the Canadian marketplace," says Nick Lewis, president of Publishers' Graphics, based in Carol Stream, Illinois. "This opportunity leverages the strengths of GTW's distribution network together with our 15+ years of experience as an innovative POD printer."
