Wikipedia offers print-on-demand

An example book from PediaPress German Wikipedia users now have several print options. They can print pages via the print version option on the Wikipedia page, or they can order a complied document through a new print-on-demand option. The print-on-demand feature is the result of work that started in 2007 between the Wikimedia Foundation and PediaPress. While the print-on-demand (POD) service is currently only available on the German language Wikipedia, English language Wikipedia and other Wikimedia project support is coming in spring 2009.

The books can be created with a table of contents, or category lists and can be downloaded as a free PDF, or ordered as a printed book from PediaPress. The POD books cost 7.99 Euros for 100 pages and 29.80 Euros for 828 pages. The books will have a 216mm x 140mm format and are printed in black and white.

Previously PediaPress offered a service that would take the data from Wikipedia pages and create a book by just printing out the individual pages, which took five to ten days. Now PediaPress is fully integrated into Wikipedia and uses software based on BSD, to combine and display the images and text from the site.

A sample book can be found on the PediaPress website.

See also:

• Bertelsmann to publish print edition of German Wikipedia, a heise online UK report.

(crve)