Google to bring rare books to paperback

You will soon be able to print your own copy of rare and hard-to-find books thanks to a deal between Google and On Demand Books, the maker of the Espresso Book Machine. Dubbed the "ATM for books," the Espresso Book Machine can print a "library quality" paperback book in less than five minutes for "under a penny a page," according to the manufacturer.

On Demand's deal with Google puts approximately two million public domain books from Google's digitized book collection--Google Books--into Espresso Book Machines, which you could then print off at your local library, bookstore, or coffee shop.

There's no official word on how much a single book will cost, but the Associated Press is reporting the average price will be about eight dollars. Google and On Demand Books will each take a dollar from every transaction, and donate the rest of the proceeds to charity, the AP says.

:story: Full story: Computerworld