MSU Libraries Short Édition

MSU Libraries purchased four Short Édition machines in 2019 from Short Édition, an international publisher that offers free on-demand printing of thousands of short stories and poems. The program was launched in Grenoble, France in 2015. Interest in the technology grew in the United States after Francis Ford Coppola installed a dispenser in his San Francisco café.

The machines offer users two choices: Spartan Shorts, submissions reviewed by MSU Libraries Short Édition editorial team and its partners; and Short Édition, collection categories selected by MSU Libraries Short Édition editorial team and its partners. Stories are printed on paper a bit wider than a typical receipt. Each roll of paper is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified and can print between 350-450 stories. The machine uses thermal printing. No ink or cartridges are used.

Four machines are located throughout the MSU community and managed by MSU Libraries. These machines were the first installations in Michigan and are located at the MSU Main Library, the East Lansing Public Library, the MSU Broad Art Lab, and the Capital Region International Airport.

Select contributions to these machines have been combined into themed issues published by MSU Libraries which are available here.

Submission guidelines and other information can be found on the Short Édition website.