The University Book Store is serving up a new type of espresso.

The Espresso Book Machine (EBM) is a modern-day printing press that automatically prints, collates, covers and binds books on demand that are identical to their factory-made counterparts.

And it only takes five to 10 minutes — enough time to get some real espresso — for the entire book to be printed.

“Customer response to the Espresso Book Machine has been overwhelmingly positive,” U-Book Store CEO Bryan Pearce wrote in an e-mail. “We are finding that people are coming to the store specifically to see the machine work.”

The U-Book Store paid $75,000 for the machine and joins Harvard University and University of Arizona bookstores in the new publishing technology. In an era where the future of books and publications are rapidly shifting, including technologies such as the Kindle and iPad, bookstores have had to adjust just as quickly.

The machine, which was installed in late January, will essentially eliminate shipping and transportation costs and will provide immediate access to more than two million public-domain titles. This allows for the potential decrease in book prices to consumers and sellers, while also providing higher royalties to authors and publishers.

The machine will get most of the titles from Google Books, Ingram Lightning Source databases, and other sources that will significantly increase the bookstore’s inventory.

Pearce said that, while digital books remain intriguing, the majority of customers will prefer hard copies.

“The EBM will facilitate new revenue opportunities, higher profit margins, and more productive inventory for the Book Store,” Pearce wrote.

The machine will also enable the bookstore to help self-publishers, expand the book selection, and even provide low-cost course materials for students.

At a time when textbook costs are becoming increasingly burdensome to students, the EBM may be able to help in keeping prices low for custom course and training materials for students. According to the National Association of College Stores, students spend an average of $702 on course materials annually. With the help of the EBM, there is the potential for this to be drastically reduced.

But not everyone is enchanted by the potential for the new machine.

“It feels like I’d waste my time waiting for it,” UW sophomore Senait Chrisostomo said. “The lines would probably be really long, and it would be a hassle. If it was more than $20 cheaper, then I’d wait, but if it was only $5 to $10, then I wouldn’t wait around.”

The machine is taking customer orders beginning yesterday and is also printing copies of the U-Book Store’s self-published 110th anniversary collection.

Reach contributing writer Katie Burke at development@dailyuw.com.