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Inside the Print Shop: Publication Printers

Inside the Print Shop: Publication Printers

Inside a Print Shop: Publication Printer – Episode Summary

In this episode of The Print University, Ryan McAbee and Pat McGrew explore the complex and diverse world of publication printing—a segment that spans everything from bestsellers and coffee table books to catalogs, magazines, Bibles, and academic journals. Ideal for those engaged in printing industry training programs for new employees or developing print shop employee onboarding templates, this episode highlights why publication printers stand apart from other PSPs.

The discussion starts with scale—publication printers work across the full spectrum, from one-off photobooks and self-published training manuals to billion-copy book runs. While historically driven by major publishing houses, today’s landscape includes niche publishers, self-publishing platforms, religious institutions, and even Amazon. These customers require a range of quality levels, from mass-market novels to art reproductions with perfect color fidelity.

Pat and Ryan explain the importance of binding options (perfect bound, saddle stitch, casebound), substrate compatibility (Teslin®, newsprint, glossy), and finishing complexity, especially when migrating jobs between digital and analog platforms. The rise of “white paper factory” workflows allows for variable run sizes and short-turn reprints. Software tools like Bronte, Piazza, and Priint enable rapid catalog and book formatting from dynamic data sources.

Publication printers also face challenges: global publisher consolidation, shifting print volumes, print-on-demand expectations, and tight delivery cycles. This evolving space requires smart workflow automation, substrate flexibility, and customer-centric agility to succeed.

You Will Learn:

  • Types of publications: books, catalogs, magazines, newspapers, periodicals

  • Key workflows: offset vs. digital, POD, backlist reprints

  • Binding and finishing options: perfect, casebound, saddle-stitched, foil

  • Publishing platforms: Amazon, Blurb, Piazza, Priint

  • Trends: short-run, niche publishing, self-publishing, long-tail print strategy

Who This Course Is For:

Book printers, catalog publishers, finishing staff, publishing service providers, and anyone delivering outsourced training for print production staff or evaluating prepress automation training (Kodak Prinergy, Esko)

Time to Watch:

Approx. 20 minutes