Print on Demand with TixKeeper

We’re excited to see a rise in the number of libraries moving away from traditional, returnable museum passes to print on demand passes. Not only are your patrons able to reserve and print their own passes from home, but library staff no longer have to worry about lost, damaged, or overdue passes.

While print on demand is not a new feature in TixKeeper, we received a lot of questions from librarians this past year asking how they can get this service up and running in their TixKeeper system.

You can email us, and we’ll let you know which destinations in your pass list are now accepting print on demand passes. For existing TixKeeper subscribers, there is usually no additional charge for us to convert your returnable passes to print on demand.

It’s possible that no one has asked them yet! Contact the destinations’ membership departments and ask if they will accept print on demand passes. Plymouth Rocket, Inc. doesn’t make the agreements with cultural destinations (those are between you, the subscriber, and the institutions), but we love working with destinations to create a printable pass that includes the information they require. We’re happy to set up a test record so you can email them a copy of a sample print on demand pass. TixKeeper also send out email confirmations and text reminders that your patrons can use as a pass, if the destination accepts those formats too.

Most destinations simply accept the confirmation screen which serves as the print on demand pass. Some destinations like to include their logo, an annual membership number, a single barcode, and some destinations give out a pack of membership numbers per day. The confirmation screen always includes the use date, and most libraries like to include text on the pass that states the pass may only be used for that specific date.

Sure! We’ve worked with a lot of librarians to setup print on demand passes. Most notably, almost all of our subscribers in Nassau Library System were setup this year with print on demand passes to many New York cultural destinations. We’re excited about this. We’ve also worked with:

Lisa Spalla, Head of Circulation, says “we used a combination of calling and emails to obtain permissions from each library. Several museums asked for a mock up. We provided all museums with the mock up, even if some did not request one. There are no formal written agreements.” She notes, “there are many steps to make sure this goes smoothly. We took it slow and tested several times before implementing the POD.”

Julie DeLisle, Director, would be happy to chat with you about her experience. She says most of the destinations “were receptive and saw it as a positive move. I stressed the convenience to the public, who’d be able to access the pass on days when the library is closed, and wouldn’t have to wait for it to be returned by another user. I sent them a sample, and most confirmed by email, or over the phone. I didn’t create a formal agreement.”