Run full out, it really depends on the printer, but the printers I employ can do about 20ppm double-sided. But as books are numbered, each sheet of paper ends

Run full out, it really depends on the printer, but the printers I employ can do about 20ppm double-sided. But as books are numbered, each sheet of paper ends up becoming 4 pages. So an 800 page book (close to the largest you can print without getting really exotic) thus only takes about 10 minutes of a printer's time. A more conventional 200 page book would be 2 1/2 minutes. There's additional labor to putting the book together besides babysitting a laser printer, but if you come up with a good process, there's probably more idle capacity than will be needed at all the busiest times of the year. A microbinder might find himself or herself like a uber driver- spending the money on the equipment and renting the space, but waiting for runs, subject to the market.