Publishing is going through a fundamental sociological and technologic shift. The way books, magazines and newspapers are published is being democratized.

Print is becoming personal. Users want to choose how and when they consume content. They want it published on demand. And increasingly, social retailing drives today’s bestseller lists.

HP’s new BookPrep technology capitalizes on these trends by enabling publishers to digitize any existing book and turn it into a virtual asset that can be sold over the Internet and printed on demand – either as is, or personalized by the consumer.

BookPrep is a print-on-demand service – with a twist. It unlocks the literary treasures of both the present and the past.

Integrating various HP Labs printing technologies, BookPrep automatically aligns and flattens scanned texts of current and out-of-print-books, cleans and brightens the fold and corners of the pages for consistent coloration, and outputs a professional and print-ready PDF eMaster.

BookPrep also capitalizes on HP Labs research that could some day enable cost-effective printing and binding of books and magazines at point of sale, and on demand.

BookPrep makes it possible to give consumers access to every book ever published as a high quality replica of the original that they can even personalize.

The best way to see BookPrep in action is at Foodsville, a community-based site for food and cooking enthusiasts – especially those with an interest in the history of cooking.

Created by HP and its partner, Applewood Books, the site offers members the opportunity to read and purchase cookbooks brought back into print via BookPrep, chat, swap recipes and tips on food preparation, read articles and reviews, visit an online bookstore and browse a free library.