Print on demand (POD) is a publishing methodology in which a copy is not created until after an order is received. While POD may use any printing technology it is generally associated with digital printing and is so often employed that the terms are often used interchangeably.

POD has a number of applications. Commercial and academic publishers use it to print advance reading copies, or when they can't justify the expense of producing and warehousing a sizeable print run. It is an excellent and economical fulfillment method for the short run publication.