Instant books at the push of a button

Readers will be able to print out bound versions of rare books on demand with a new machine being set up by the British publisher Blackwell.

The Espresso Book Machine, can access a digital archive of more than 400,000 publications.

Rather than having to order a copy and wait weeks for it to arrive, the photocopier sized "EBR" will print and bind books on the spot at Blackwell's branch in Charing Cross, London.

A Blackwell spokesman said: "At the press of a button, people can now access paperback copies of their favourite classics, psychological thrillers, contemporary whodunits or previously hard to find books, whenever they want."

People who want their own works "professionally printed, bound and trimmed into perfectly packaged library-quality paperback books" will also be able to do so by bringing in a compact disc or flash drive containing their manuscript.

- TELEGRAPH GROUP LTD