Introduction

Most open textbooks are available online or in other digital formats. However, there are times when a student or instructor needs or wants a printed version.

The Print-on-Demand Guide provides an overview for post-secondary institutions interested in offering on-demand and pre-order printing services for open textbooks, whether from the B.C. Open Collection or other repositories. It’s also a guide to help colleges and universities expand accessibility for students who require the printed page, and a tool for taking inventory of open educational activity and interest on campus.

This guide is laid out in four parts and covers the following topics:

1. What. The history behind print on demand, and why open textbooks are ideal (and legal) print candidates for instructors, especially those interested in customizable classroom materials.
2. Why. A detailed description of situations in which the printing of open textbooks is warranted, such as learning accessibility for students.
3. Where. Half a dozen reasons why a print-on-demand service on campus benefits students, faculty, and the larger post-secondary community.
4. How. Suggestions, considerations, and templates that can be used by post-secondary institutions interested in setting up a print-on-demand service. These can be used to take inventory of open educational activity and interest on campus.

Each part contains three or four chapters, each devoted to a specific aspect of the part subject. Each chapter begins with a summary of its content in the “in a nutshell” textbox.

In a nutshell.

Chapters include research, real-life examples, input from 28 B.C. post-secondary individuals who answered two dozen questions asked through a print-on-demand survey, and quotes from bookstores, printshops, and libraries across the province. At the end of each chapter in the final part, there is a green textbook that highlights concerns and considerations, such as “Service Interruption” and “Printshop Limitations.”

Finally, in the appendices, readers will find additional PoD resources. These include an open textbook cover toolkit, a shortlist of post-secondary PoD services across Canada and the United States, and other useful information.