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Sacramento Library To Offer Independent Book Printing

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Major book retailers may be struggling to survive as online shopping soars, but the Downtown Sacramento Library hopes to offer a unique print-on-demand service that can keep avid readers and writers spending they money locally.

The Espresso Book Machine will make it's debut on November 19, bringing the ability to print more than 3 million books on demand and publish independent authors' works to the library.

Sacramento Library outreach supervisor Manya Shorr said the machine can print out, bind and cut a paperback book from a digital file in less than 5 minutes.

"At the end, we produce a book that we can hand to someone," Shorr said.

Library officials say there's still a demand for paperback books, despite the surge in e-readers and smartphones.

"There's a time and place for a print book and a time and place for an e-book, and I think print books aren't going away for a long time," Shorr said.

The EBM cost about $150,000 and was paid for through a state grant. The library also plans to also offer writing classes for aspiring authors.

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