I am of the understanding that buying books online is hardly worth anything because you don’t actually own anything. Maybe you own the digital file? I’m not sure. I don’t trust the longevity of it, though.
I’m told a lot (mainly by my Dad) that its a good idea to print those out to keep them. However, I’m talking about books that are easily 200+ pages.
I don’t know if its worth the ink or money to print them out. At that point would it be better to just buy a book?
Dont do this. You completely defeat any sense and purpose of an e book. Do you really think you’re going to store those books (like in a binder) and then go through and read 200 a4 sherts of paper?
The ink would be way more than buying the book itself
Sure, but there are plenty of ebooks, web fiction, fan fiction, fan-translated works that are unlikely to get an official release, extra chapters/short stories that were only published in an obscure magazine and/or on Twitter, etc that just aren’t available in a physical format. I’ve considered getting into bookbinding for precisely this reason, but I’m not sure where to even start.
Use laser printers, not ink. Inkjet printers are garbage.
It really depends on what you mean by “worth it”.
When you start getting into the large page number range, the cost of printing starts to approach that of just buying the book outright.
On top of this you have bindings - they aren’t just pretty things for show, they preserve the book and increase its longevity in use.There’s a reason why paperbacks are often referred to as “battered”. Loose leaves of text will have an even shorter lifespan and are prone to getting lost or torn.
You can get your printed pages bound, but then that adds extra cost, and by that point you may as well buy the book outright.Digital libraries are great for compactness and accessibility, but if you want durable, physical hardcopies, you may as well just buy them. Secondhand if you can, if cost is a real concern.
Clearly your dad works for Big Ink.
It’s possible your Dad told you to print them as a joke. Sounds like something I might have done.
Perhaps get a digital edition, and if you really liked it, seek out a physical copy to keep.
There are copyright concerns reproducing or printing a book out. I don’t think “fair use” applies
I don’t trust the longevity of it, though.
I’d def trust more a digital compy than a physical one, you can always copy over a file, buying a whole new book can be pricy, especially for books that aren’t really too common, as long as you’re mindful of your data, it’s better digital
Definitely buy the book at that point. Also, some of those books have software that prevents printing.
Edit: Certain sellers such as Amazon are only selling you access to the file, not ownership itself.
This really only makes sense for textbooks
IMO the value of a book is not (only) the physical possession of a copy. Most of the time I am much more interested in consuming the content and supporting the work. For those purposes a digital copy also works. If I wanted to physically own something I would strongly prefer to buy an actual book over printing it out.
I wouldn’t waste the paper and ink. Make sure your digital files are accessible (ie, DRM-free and in a common format) and backed up in several locations, and that’s about as much of a guarantee you can get for them.
what do you mean that you don’t trust the longevity?
Big fan of ‘personal collections’ over here. No disrespect meant to ppl who love their public libraries or school libraries (I do too)! But I have a few articles from scholars comparing differences between public resources (national musuems, public libraries, even subscription models like Netflix etc.)vs private collections and I prefer owning. Just my preference.
I am just imagining someone having a bookcase with a bunch of 3 ring binders that’s just a ton of books they printed out from a digital copy they bought, and it’s giving me serial killer vibes.
Remove the DRM and back it up. You now own a file that nobody can take from you.