<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I recently got pdfs of textbooks. I was wondering if it is worth it to print it all out or just buy the actual textbook?</p>
<p>Depends on if you have access to a double-sided printer and how large the textbook is. I wouldn’t print it all at once, just print as you go. Your professor might skip chapters you don’t need, or you might find that your professor rarely uses the textbook. You have to consider the cost of the .pdf + paper and ink costs as compared to the cost of a used physical textbook.</p>
<p>… or you could just get an ereader and use that instead.</p>
<p>^^ I personally can’t stand reading a lot of material on any kind of screen. And if the files are .pdf, you can just have your laptop instead of spending more money on an e-reader. I know they’re lighter than a laptop, but it’s a matter of personal preference.</p>
<p>Personally I liked having a pdf when I could as well as a physical copy of the textbook. The pdf was really only useful when the text was searchable, so when I wanted to find something but it wasn’t listed in the index.</p>
<p>The last time I decided to print out the book, I ended up dropping the class. So now I just use the pdf (or DJVU), and I print a part out if there’s some need. The main advantage of having it on paper (for me at least) is that you can sit down and read without the distraction of a computer. But it really depends on how comfortable you are reading off a computer.</p>