While e-books are more convenient and cost-effective, there are many reasons to choose printed books. In addition to being easier on the eyes, they are more environmentally friendly. Some people also prefer reading printed books because they feel more tactile than their e-book counterparts. Consider these benefits of printed books for children and adults. You’ll soon see why they’re better for everyone. Let’s take a closer look!
Printed books are easier on the eyes
While e-books are becoming more popular, they don’t completely replace print books. In fact, many people find that print books are easier on their eyes. Reading is a physical activity, involving a lot of eye movement. A recent survey of 429 university students found that nearly half reported feeling eye fatigue after reading a digital book. While digital media can provide back-lighting for reading, printed books don’t.
The main difference between reading a physical book and an e-book is the level of brightness. While e-books have a lower resolution, they are still more difficult on the eyes than physical books. Paperback readers also face issues with light and lighting. The lack of adequate lighting makes it difficult to read a physical book, resulting in eye strain and headaches. In addition, many people report eye fatigue after reading a book, especially if the text is small.
Another difference between e-books and print books is the type of display used by each. E-readers use a special type of display called eInk. This material mimics the look of printed paper and is less likely to cause eyestrain than other types of screens. Newer LCD screens, on the other hand, have higher resolutions and refresh times. Moreover, both types of reading are more comfortable when compared to reading on a computer or smartphone.
The differences between e-books and print books can be significant in terms of the amount of time you spend on reading. Many people have reported eye strain after reading on a Kindle, but a study conducted at SUNY College of Optometry found that Kindle users experienced more eye fatigue and discomfort. In addition, e-book users took longer to recover distance focusing and read slower.
A study of college students found that the number of people reading print books was higher than e-books. Students who read physical books reported greater comprehension than e-book readers. Researchers hypothesized that this was because they had difficulty focusing on the story and were distracted by the electronic devices. Furthermore, students reading short stories on e-readers also reported less attention and difficulty remembering events. Despite these issues, print books are still easier on the eyes than e-books.
Printed books are cheaper
While most publishers complain that e-books are cheaper than printed books, the fact is that print costs are just a fraction of the cost of ebooks. The cost of producing a hardcover book is around 10 percent of its list price, but the 20 percent sales tax wiped out the savings. Considering that eBooks contain only data and have no physical product, pricing ebooks should be less expensive than physical books. The key to this is distribution.
Despite the widespread belief that e-books are cheaper than printed books, they do not have the same value. Publishers must factor in high costs for the physical production of printed books – including printing, shipping, warehousing, and returns – as well as marketing and distribution. Printed books, on the other hand, can be produced for a few dollars per copy. The cost depends on the size of the print run.
One reason why printed books are cheaper than e-books is that they are usually more fair to the authors. E-book publishers have fewer rights to print books and pay the authors less. This makes it difficult for authors to make a living or to write follow-up books. Printed books are more environmentally friendly, and they can be traded or given to others. However, this does not mean that e-books will be cheaper than printed books any time soon.
Although e-books cost less to produce, printed books are not necessarily cheaper. The best way to decide which format is more convenient for you depends on what books you want to read. For example, e-books are cheaper than printed books if you read mostly new releases, while paperbacks are more expensive if you read only old books. You may not read new releases often, but if you have a limited reading budget, you might want to choose e-books.
Printed books are more environmentally friendly
It’s not clear if print books are more sustainable than e-books. One reason may be the carbon footprint associated with paper books. A 360-page hardcover book has a carbon footprint of about 1.2 kilograms per gram. Of that, half of the carbon footprint is related to the production of pulp and paper and the rest to the bleaching process. In addition, a quarter to one-third of all books purchased at bookstores are returned to the publisher, which requires additional energy for transport and disposal. Not only are bad books costly to keep in stock, but also have a carbon footprint of up to two kilograms.
Printed books also have a lower carbon footprint because the lifecycle analysis includes the waste produced by the publishing industry, the unsold stock and the energy used to produce them. E-readers, on the other hand, can be considered an eco-friendly option when their production is done in countries like China and India. Moreover, it’s possible to recycle e-waste and paper books at local recycling facilities.
According to a recent study by the New York Times, e-readers require 33 pounds of minerals (including coltan from the Congo), 79 gallons of water, and produce 66 pounds of CO2 when used. Meanwhile, a print book requires only two-thirds of this amount of minerals, which is equivalent to planting 100 million trees. Further, e-readers are hard to recycle because their components are so expensive and are often contaminated.
There are two major factors that make printed books more eco-friendly than e-books: their initial carbon footprint and the size of the book. While e-readers have a smaller carbon footprint than e-readers, their use and disposal increases the amount of physical books. That’s why e-books are more eco-friendly when compared to their physical counterparts. There are other reasons as well.
Paper is the biggest component of printed books. While producing paper requires 17 trees, each tree only yields about 59 kilograms of paper. A 400-page paperback typically weighs 600 grams. One tree could produce a hundred books. That’s a large difference compared to e-books. However, despite the environmental benefits, the downsides are equally significant. The cost of making paper books are far higher than those of e-readers.
Printed books are more tactile than e-books
Print books have been around for hundreds of years, and while eBooks provide easy access to traditionally paperback works, the physical experience of reading paperback books is still preferred by many readers. This is because a paperback book has a physical connection to the reader, and the action of flipping pages adds to the enjoyment of reading. Readers may also find the tactile experience of unfolding a story helpful.
Printed books have many benefits, not least of which is that they are easier on the environment. Paper books are associated with stinky paper mills and needless tree slaughter, and eBooks require little glue and ink to be created. This means they leave far less of a carbon footprint than their digital counterparts. Another great advantage of print books is that they are permanent and don’t wear out or fall apart. Printed books also feel and smell better than digital counterparts.
Printed books also are more appealing to the human eye. A print book feels soft, and the paper allows the eyes to focus on the content. Reading a print book is more relaxing than reading an e-book, which feels more like using a computer, not a real, physical object. Printed books also convey information better than e-books. A study showed that readers using a Kindle were less able to remember events in a mystery novel than those who read a paper copy.
In addition to being easier to carry around, print books also offer greater interactivity and nostalgia. Readers of print books tend to track their progress through their ratio of pages read to pages yet to be read. A digital page number makes it harder to track progress. And, readers who have trouble putting down a long book might plod through the middle sections. Printed books also give readers a better sense of their progress because they are physically tangible, and the feel of holding a real book is more natural than an electronic page number.
