Hardware:

1.How Does The Espresso Book Machine Work?
2.Is there a warranty of any kind? How long is the machine expected to last?
3.Have you experienced any machine malfunctions during the test period?
4.How often does paper jam?
5.The shearing mechanism requires a blade, how often will it require replacing?
6.What does it cost to produce a book including paper, covers, toner and glue.
7.How often do the consumables need to be replenished (i.e., how many pages can it print before consumables are depleted)? Do we use the same paper and toner cartridges that we use for our laser printers?
8.What happens to the paper that's trimmed off, and any other waste?
9.Is the EBM UL approved?
10.How much power/electricity does it use? What do we need for electrical outlets?
11.Does the EBM need to be ventilated?
12.Does the EBM have any hot spots or emit heat?
13.Is the EBM noisy?
14.What are the dimensions of the EBM?
15.What clearance is needed around the EBM? Where are the access points and can it be positioned flush against the wall?
16.What is the approximate time it takes to assemble and set up the EBM?
17.Should the EBM be installed on carpet or on bare floor?

Software and Content:

1.How many titles are available through the EBM network?
2.Where does the user go to see all the available titles? Is it each library's individual site, or is there a common site with all items together?
3.Will there be any software upgrades or enhancements for the future? If so, how would we take advantage of that, and how much will it cost?
4.Who manages my content repository?
5.Can we restrict certain items to just our campus or location?
6.Does the EBM have remote administration capability? Is there an interface or command line available?
7.How does the user select an item? Is there a computer monitor connected to the Internet? Can they also do it remotely, from their own computer?
8.What security precautions have you taken to ensure that my content is protected and royalties are properly attributed?
9.You say you respect all copyright and license restrictions. Does this mean that we retain full ownership and control over our files? Are we depositing them with you, or do they stay with us?
10.How does the payment part work? Users insert a credit card? If so, how secure is this? Do users get a receipt? How is the money processed?

1.What file formats do you require? PDFs?
2.Can we create digital files of anything a user might want to print? It doesn't have to only be "book" files, right?
3.Can users mix and match and put several different files together (several different articles, for example) and print them out together? Or would the file need to be "pre-made"?
4.Are all books trimmed to the same size? Or does it depend on the original file?
5.What are the size limitations? (Minimum and maximum page counts, dimensions)
6.What about the covers? Is there a standard, generic cover design for everything?
7.What is the general or average time, from start to finish, to actually print the average book?
8.What if a user is dissatisfied with the quality of his or her book? Is there any recourse?

Hardware:

1.How Does The Espresso Book Machine Work?

1. A black and white duplex laser printer prints the pages of the book. The text and images are correctly located so that all pages will be properly aligned and centered when the book is trimmed to its intended size. The printer uses standard letter or A4 sized paper stock.

2. As the pages emerge from the laser printer, they are collected in an accumulator. This device helps ensure that all pages are properly aligned.

3. While the pages of the book are being printed, a color laser printer produces a full color image on a single piece of large, heavy-weight paper stock that is used to form the book cover. This printed tabloid or A3 sheet is placed directly onto a binding table.

4. Once the pages of the book are complete, they are positioned vertically by the accumulator and placed in a carriage. This carriage moves the book along the length of the machine as it is transformed from a collection of single pages into a fully bound book.

5. Just behind the black and white laser printer, there is a jogger. Here the pages are placed on a vibrating platform that further ensures that all of the sheets of paper are properly aligned and square.

6. Next, the carriage pulls the bottom edge of the pages, which will end up being the spine of the book, over a mill. This roughens the edge of the pages to help ensure that when glue is applied that it will adhere fully to each page.

7. After being milled, the bottom edge of the book is moved over a glue pot, where a rotating wheel is used to apply a thin layer of heat activated glue over the entire spine of the book.

8. The carriage then moves the book over the binding table where the cover is waiting. The binding table uses pneumatics and electrical clamps to press the cover into the book from three sides. This produces a traditional "perfect bound" book.

9. The carriage then transfers the bound book to the shearing mechanism at the trimming station. In the shearing process, a single carbide blade trims the top edge, bottom edge and outside edge of the book. Trim sized are infinitely variable between roughly 8 1/2" x 11" and 4 1/2" x 4 1/2".

10. The completed perfect bound book is released by the machine - still warm - ready to read. As we say "Hot off the press!"

2.Is there a warranty of any kind? How long is the machine expected to last?

The laser printers are under a 90 day worldwide warranty via their manufacturer (Kyocera and Konica-Minolta). We provide a 1-year warranty on the core machine. We have not deployed enough units to have any hard data on how long the machine is expected to last, but are heartened by the fact that we have yet to experience a significant mechanical failure in the core machine.

We have experienced only a few problems with the original beta machine (the model installed at the World Bank and in Egypt). The vast majority of these were related to paper handling. We completely redesigned the paper handling process for the version 1.5 machine and have rectified these shortcomings.

Jamming is on par with any high quality laser imaging machine, perhaps once or twice a day under heavy use. A paper jam is easy to fix since the printer keeps track of where the jam occurs. Once fixed, the books will continue on the page from where it left off.

The blade has to be sharpened about every 5,000 - 10,000 books although this can vary quite a bit depending on paper stock, thickness, cover stock and average book length. We would prefer that the blade is sharpened through us as it is fairly complicated to sharpen a carbide edge.

Approximately a penny a page.

Paper and toner are exactly the same as what would go into a standard laser printer; the EBM 1.5 toner cartridges are for Kyocera FS-9520DN (Black and White) and Konica-Minolta Magicolor 7300 (Color Covers). Each B&W printer on the EBM (it can be configured with between 1 and 6 printers) has a 3,000-sheet capacity. In the past we have used both 20 and 24 pound paper with 92 brightness; recycled paper can also be used. We have not collected much data on the use of different paper thus far and recommend that if the user wishes to vary paper type, they try printing a few books using the desired paper to see the outcome. Cover stock is also standard paper (tabloid/A3 in a gloss coating, available from any paper source, e.g. Office Depot, etc.). We have used Futura Laser by StoraEnso in the past.

Glue comes in pellet form, can be ordered from us or directly from the manufacturer. A single box costs less than $100 and can be used for roughly 5,000- 10,000 books. Perhaps one charcoal filter is required per month at a cost of less than a dollar. The trimming blade has to be sharpened about every 5,000 - 10,000 books although this can vary quite a bit depending on paper stock, thickness, cover stock and average book length

It accumulates in a receptacle under the machine, which must be periodically emptied. The World Bank recycled 100% of the trim waste.

Yes.

The usage is similar to an electric-powered home clothes-drying machine; the 1.5 EBM draws up to about 30 amps, at 220v which leads to a KWh charge depending directly on electricity rates. Power should be a single phase to the machine with a hard wired (no plug) disconnect cable. The machine itself provides power for all the printers. A single circuit powers the machine, and the machine transforms power for the printers internally (the printers do not plug into the wall, they plug into the machine). This is required by electrical safety codes, as a single switch must be able to de-power everything. Similarly, the computer that runs the machine is housed within the machine and receives power from it. Anything else (desk lighting, separate computer for standard office applications, etc.) would need its own regular 110 circuit.

No ventilation is required as the glue is non-toxic, perfectly safe and carbon filters are in use to absorb odors. If the EBM is in a fully enclosed space with zero airflow ventilation is recommended. In this case, the EBM can be vented using the same fitting a standard dryer would use.

The EBM has no external heat points. If the access panels are opened while the machine is running the power will be cut off.

The EBM is well below OSA guidelines. The greatest amount of noise is during the cutting process.

The version 1.5 EBM is modular in 2 parts and measures in total about 108" long, 61" high and has a depth of about 63" with printers. Printers can be removed for transport, reducing the depth to 33". The Main frame is the largest unit; with an access panel and a couple of additional parts removed the bare frame measures 72 7/8" long, 59 3/4" high and has a depth of 33". The trimmer unit measures 27 1/8" long and 59 3/4" high. The individual weights of the components, within 20 pounds, are around 1159 lbs, 700 lbs and 400 lbs.

If the side of the EBM with the printers is considered to be the south side then the north and west sides can be positioned flush against the wall with an alcove at the northwest corner. The trim receptacle tray needs to be able to pull out on the east side and for that a 3.5 foot clearance is needed. On the printer side, the paper trays open to the left and therefore do not add any depth but a foot clearance is needed in front of the printers to move along the length of the EBM, from the monitor to the book output shoot. A panel on the south side opens outwards but does not add any depth. The main access panel at the top of the EBM opens upwards at a 45 degree angle. Occasionally there may be a need to access the mechanical components on the west side of the EBM so the 3.5 feet clearance on the east side should allow for the EBM to be moved sideways.

Assembly and initial mechanical set-up take 3-4 days. But deciding on workflow, what paper to use, who should be the operator, etc., etc., can end up taking several weeks.

Carpet can be used but due to the weight of the equipment it will be difficult to roll the casters so a hard surface is preferred.

Software and Content:

1.How many titles are available through the EBM network?

There are over 200,000 public domain titles through our partnership with the Open Content Alliance and with permission from the University of Alberta, textbook titles from three major Canadian publishers. On Demand Books is continuing to add titles.

The entity controlling any collection of content (in our vernacular, a "repository") can permission which machines are allowed to see, query, and print their content. For example, the World Bank's content was only available on the World Bank's machine. However, the Open Content Alliance repository at archive.org with over 300,000 public domain titles is available for browsing and printing on any Espresso anywhere in the world. Their titles cover a wide range of fiction, non-fiction, science and other categories (see http://archive.org). We have developed a software algorithm which produces high quality print ready books from scans of old texts.

Software upgrades will be a matter of course, and we do not anticipate charging for these.

While we will be happy to manage content (for a fee), we expect that many would feel more comfortable having their content reside within the four walls of their own enterprises. For those without sufficient technical expertise to host and manage such a system, we will actively work to see the establishment of 3rd party repository managers.

Yes, provided you "own" the content (either you have licensed copyrights for the content, or there are works which are out of copyright that you are digitally managing).

The EBM user can remotely administer content, billing, etc. (browser based and nascent API). The user can upload PDFs, get info (such as reports) and order books via web browser. The machine cannot be operated remotely for safety reasons.

All interaction with the machine is performed via a standard browser. The decision of how broadly to expose that interface (local network only, campus-wide, internet-wide, etc.) is up to the owner of the EBM.

Throughout our architecture, an extensive set of industry standard cryptographic mechanism are being employed to help secure the network. All transmissions between a repository and an Espresso will be encrypted at the base level with a standard and strong PKI-based encryption. The content owner (repository manager) can permission where in the network content may be cached (or not). In addition, all ordering and financial transactions will employ digital signatures from all involved parties. This is intended not only to guard against eavesdropping and content theft but also to provide for mathematically ironclad certification of orders and payments (i.e. non-repudiation).

They stay with you, but you can permission them to cache out on the network for efficiency purposes.

The current mechanism is to support existing point-of-sale systems by printing SKU's and/or bar codes on the book's cover as it is produced. The machine is more a system for generating instant inventory than an end-user payment collecting mechanism.

Books:

1.What file formats do you require? PDFs?

Exact same files as one would use in traditional book printing: a PDF for the book block and (ideally) a PDF for the cover.

The machine will print (and then bind and trim) anything a laser printer can print. However, allowing end users to walk up with any content (on, e.g. a USB stick) may have legal implications from a copyright perspective. Each individual install can be tailored to be as open or as constrained as is required.

At this stage, pre-made.

Every book is custom trimmed to the size specified, and the trim size is infinitely variable between the largest and smallest dimensions.

A 40 page book is about as the least amount of pages possible (very hard to bind a book shorter than that). Upper limit is 550 pages depending on paper weight (one sheet of paper equals 2 book pages). Dimensions are maximum 8.5" x 11" (technically slightly less as at least a little bit of paper is trimmed off to have a good edge), down to a minimum of 4.5" x 4.5".

There's a generic approach to generating covers for texts that don't have them but actual covers are more appealing to the end user.

Laser printers run at 40 pages per minute. So, in one sense, a 200-page book will take about 7 minutes (5 minutes to print, about 2 minutes to bind and trim). However, because books can be printed in parallel on a multi-printer version of the machine, you do not have to wait 7 minutes between books. In fact the machine can make an average size book every 2-3 minutes with the two printer model.

The system can handle returns in the sense of deducting royalties to other repositories when and if books are actually returned.

Glossary of Key Terms:

Accumulator – Holding tray that aligns printed pages as they exit the printer; vertically positions pages into carriage.

Binding table – Holding area for printed book covers; uses pneumatics and electrical clamps to press cover onto book from three sides once book passes through glue pot.

Carriage – Responsible for general movement of book through machine once all pages are printed.

Digital file – Retrieves book and its meta-data in PDF file from cyberspace.

Emergency stop buttons – Two red knobs located on either end of EBM that immediately shut down machine when pressed.

Espresso Book Machine (EBM) – Fully integrated patented book making machine which can automatically print, bind and trim on demand at point of sale perfect bound library quality paperback books with 4-color covers (indistinguishable from the factory made original) in minutes for a production cost of a penny a page.  Digital files are retrieved and transmitted via the Internet through our proprietary web-based digital rights management software.

Glue pot – Contains hot glue over 300 degrees Fahrenheit with rotating wheel that adheres glue to book’s spine.

Jogger – Compresses and aligns all pages into a square bloc.

Konica-Minolta laser printer (color) – Responsible for
printing book covers on 11” X 17” heavy-weight paper stock.

Kyocera duplex printer (black and white) – Responsible for printing book pages on 8.5” X 11” paper.

Meta-Data – Provides essential information within the digital file relating to page numbers, sizes and margins of book.

Mill – Roughens edge of pages to ensure glue will adhere to book’s spine; contains glue pot with rotating wheel applying a thin layer of glue to book’s spine.

On Demand Books (ODB) – Company that owns EBM.

ODB software – Web-based software retrieves and encrypts a purely digital or scanned file, converts it into high quality print ready format and transmits it to EBM printer of customer’s choosing (can be done from a home computer or an in-store kiosk).   

Open Content Alliance (OCA) - A consortium of non-profit and for-profit groups dedicated to building a free archive of digital text and multimedia.  Conceived in 2005 by Yahoo! and the Internet Archive in response to Google Book Search's closed nature, OCA aims to keep public domain works in the public domain on-line. These results will then be used in the search results of participating search engines. OCA uploads books by the process of book scanning.  OCA's approach to seeking permission from copyright holders differs significantly from that of Google Book Search.  OCA intends to digitize copyrighted works only after asking (and receiving) permission from the copyright holder ("opt-in"). By contrast, Google Book Search plans to digitize copyrighted works unless explicitly told not to do so by November 1, 2005 ("opt-out"), and contends that digitizing for the purposes of indexing is fair use.  (Source: Wikipedia)

Perfect bound book – A traditional, library quality book with a cover and spine adhered by glue; its opposite is a book with a stitched spine.

Reset button – Brings EBM out of standby mode.

Shearing mechanism – Uses a single carbide blade to trim top, bottom and outside edges of book; trim sizes vary from 8 ½” X 11” to 4 ½ X
4 ½.

Trimming station – Contains the shearing mechanism which trims one book at a time to any size.