Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Welcome to the question and answer section of our main website, with plenty of links to send you in the right direction. Over time, we will be adding more questions and answers to this resource page, as well as to the related pages. 

Q: What information is available about the history of Industrial Press and the Machinery’s Handbook (MH)?

A: For history of the company and the legendary Machinery’s Handbookclick here.

Q: How do I contact Industrial Press?

A: For general questions about our products, links to some answers may be found on this and connected page.  Your next stop might be our Resources page. Or you can go directly to the Contact Us page on this main retail and information website or to the Contact Us page on our eBookStore website. Don’t know where to go or who to ask? You always can write us at our general contact email: info@industrialpress.com.

Q: What if I have an idea for a new book I would like to present or write for Industrial Press?

A: Please click here to review Industrial Press’s new author guidelines from our Publisher Judy Bass.

Q: How many websites does Industrial Press have and what is the difference between the two?

A: We have two separate websites:

  1. Our main retail and information site: https://books.industrialpress.com
  2. Our eBookStore site: https://ebooks.industrialpress.com

Our main retail and information website provides information about and a place where you can order our print and other physical products; it also serves as well as a source of information on the history of the company, the Machinery’s Handbook product family and numerous other titles, our acclaimed authors, press releases, articles, useful industry resources, and contacting our main offices and customer service department

Our eBookStore website  is the site to go to if you want to purchase almost any available Industrial Press book in accessible digital format; the eBookStore site also includes detailed product pages and information on how to access and use our eBooks.

Note that these websites include many crosslinks, but customer accounts created at these two URLs are entirely separate. So if even if you have an account on one of these two websites, you still will have to create a separate account on the other website to order products there. Of course, no account is needed to browse and learn about Industrial Press and its products.

Q: Can I return an Industrial Press book or eBook?

A: For information on returns and replacements of physical, non-digital products purchased directly from Industrial Press, please click here to go to our Customer Service page. If you purchased an Industrial Press physical product from another source, please contact that vendor directly.

Industrial Press’s policy is that we do not accept returns of purchased digital products. In rare cases, a “special return exception” may be made. If you wish to apply for such an exception, please send the details of your purchase, a copy of your purchase receipt, and the reason for your return, to info@industrialpress.com and an IP representative will get back to you.

Q: What if I have technical questions about my Industrial Press eBook or CD-ROM?

A:  eBooks: For technical questions about digital editions of the Machinery’s Handbook, please click here.

For technical questions about our eBook products, we also suggest that your review the instructions provided on the “Support” page of our eBookStore site. If you don’t find an answer to your eBook question, you also can email industrialpress@ipublishcentral.com. As a final resort, you can email help@industrialpress.com.

CD-ROMs: If you have question about installing or reinstalling or otherwise troubleshooting an issue with your MH CD-ROM, please click here.

Please note that we no longer officially support any MH CD-ROM earlier than the 29th Edition, and we cannot guaranty that any MH CD-ROM program will run on the newest machines and operating systems. However, if you first follow all of the suggested steps provided in our online instructions and still are having difficulties, you may try emailing help@industrialpress.com, and we will see what we can do to help. 

Also note that previous MH CD-ROM or eBook subscribers to previous editions are eligible to purchase and install the new MH31 Digital Edition Upgrade.

Q: I’m trying to figure out what to buy. What is the difference between the various Machinery’s Handbook family products?

A: The Machinery’s Handbook, 31st Edition,  whether the Toolbox (a handy, smaller package), Large Print (a full-size, larger and heavier version, with print the size of standard reference books), or Digital Edition (usable online or offline on various devices and also available in an Upgrade version), contains all the vast, updated, and expanded information that makes the MH so valuable in one package. So we recommend these comprehensive, core products first and foremost. Before you buy, however, also consider our value-added combination packages and companion volumes. 

The Machinery’s Handbook Guide to the 31st edition is a great companion volume, as it touches on many of the MH31’s primary subjects. This useful guide includes both page references to the main book and numerous, unique examples and review questions. (Note: If you buy the Digital Edition, this valuable companion text is combined with the Handbook and hundreds more pages of extra material.)  

Finally, the Pocket Companion was born as a shortened, extracted compendium of some essential material in various MH editions—though it does have some added material unique to this companion book. We have updated the book so much, including the latest material from the MH31, that it is has been published as the Machinery’s Handbook Pocket Companion, Second Edition. This is the kind of book you would want to have on hand if you need access to just key data. Though, we think it is most useful if you can go back and investigate more on the subject later, in the Handbook itself.

Q: What if I want to send in a question about content or regarding a possible error/suggested correction in an Industrial Press title?

A: If your comment is about any edition of the Machinery’s Handbook, please write to the MH Team at MHTeam@industrialpress.com.

If your comment is about any other Industrial Press title or product, please send your email to our general email address info@industrialpress.com.