Print on Demand services

[Jean Hollis Weber]

Will Gaffga wrote,

> We started a test with PrintOnDemand.com (aka lulu.com) as it looked
> like the best choice but their service starts to break down when you
> have 9 languages and ~25 books per language. There is no way to really
> chunk this ... their structure is flat so I can't do separate sections
> per language....

I assume from your description that you want not just print-on-demand, but 
a complete ordering, payment, and fulfillment service as well -- and that 
the problem is with the storefront facility provided on Lulu. I use Lulu, 
and I've recently started to run into the same problem with publishing 
books in multiple languages, though I don't have anywhere near the number 
of books that you do.

> So ... does anybody use any of these services? Do you recommend a
> different service? 

Have you considered CafePress? I believe their premium sites allow multiple 
pages, with various ways to navigate through them. A premium site costs 
around US$5 per month, I think. I don't know what the quality of their 
books is or who does their printing.

> Oh, also, some services cannot cope with the
> international nature of this, like sending books to somewhere "exotic"
> like the Czech Republic...

I don't know what if any restrictions CafePress has on shipping 
destinations. Lulu certainly has the advantage of using a printer in Europe 
as well as one in the USA, so shipping is less of a drama.

A slightly roundabout way of dealing with the Lulu storefront problem could 
be to set up 9 separate accounts, one for each language. If they'll let 
you, that is... This is on my list of things to check when I have time.

--Jean