My ex has commented that I frequently use the "vibration method" of cooking--I just sprinkle in whatever ingredient I need until it feels about right. ;-)

Printing (as in offset printing) a book can come out to a few dollars per book, but you have a lot of upfront costs and a great deal of layout work that I don't think any individual or Mudcat itself would want to deal with (at least, on such a speculative endeavor). What fonts, images, what paper, cover stock, one color ink, duotones, four color. . . a simple format for a photocopy that is xeroxed on both sides and then bound would probably be much cheaper. I get some scholarly journals in the 5 1/2 by 8 inch format that you'd never know to look at them that they're photocopied onto 8 1/2 by 11" paper, cut, then bound. But you have to know how to set up a long text so that the pages are sequential. Or print it in the larger 8 1/2 by 11" format and not have quite so much calculating to do.

The cookbook I posted a link to has been at the press for a couple of months now, and my friend sent them $2000 or so in advance to get started on the copies he needs. (He's getting a big price break due to negotiations, because his business was wiped out by 9-11. Normally they would demand twice that amount upfront. He'll pay them the rest as books are sold and more are printed.) Once it is digitally complete, and after this first run, they will be able to print on demand. He does it spiral so that it is easy to lay flat for cooking, and so extra pages from groups can be bound in (he does tours at Ellis, and lectures around the country, and frequently there is interest from a particular group to add their own recipes to the back). It took me two full weekends of research just to complete the links for two pages of the cookbook--and he had a ton more work to do than I did. If the Mudcat books were published in a compact disk in PDF files with a good index and conversions charts then people could pick and choose what they want and print it as needed. You still have to deal with the layout and burning the CD's, but that is a much cheaper and easier way than ink on paper, sad to say. For those who just can't access it from a CD, perhaps photocopies could be available--but you're looking at a higher cost, the persheet copying expense, and binding it.

SRS (who works closely with a university print shop, but I doubt they could come anywhere near the low bids available in the public sector).