How do you use PDFs?

[tetsujin28]

I never use a laptop. I hate the things. I mostly use PDFs to get ahold of OOP material cheaply and just print out the chapters I need, or to get cool indie games like Fate that aren't available any other way.

 

[trancejeremy]

Since I can't really print them out (since I can't afford to), I will sometimes simply write down the relevent crunchy bits on a piece of paper.

(Mostly though, I don't use PDFs)

 

[Angel Tarragon]

I voted for printing most of them out and use them more often from the printer material because thats close to how I use 'em.

What I really do is compile choice bits into an MS Word document, then print that out.

 

[JustaPlayer]

I made a database where I can look at views containing, classes, races, monster, npcs, spells, feats, items and such. Or I can read the entries in the order they were in the book each book. The great things about the views is that no matter what spell from what book if I go the the spell by alphabetical view, it's going to be there and I don't have to go looking through sources. I can either look at said views by setting or all settings together. I have settings broken down to FR, Greyhawk, Lone Wolf, Conan, EverQuest, etc.

I also use scanned pdf copies of books I own and run them through an OCR so I can put books I didn't get on PDF into the same database.

It took a while to get the major database design down, and I have to tweek it every now and then when some new type of element is added, not to mention the whole OCR thing can be a pain, but it sure beats looking through the 250+ D20/D20 based OGL books I own. Not to mention every d20 dragon magazine (274 on).

Oh, and the full text searching is the bomb too. Say I wanted to design a whole set of adventures around drow. Well, I can go to my monster view and do a search on drow and any monster with drow somewhere in the description is all that's left. Leaves me with stuff like deep gnomes, drow, driders, chitine, deep dragons, black unicorns, all kinds of nice stuff that fit the drow theme.

 

[KB9JMQ]

I usually just cut and paste the relevant bits into a Word doc then print it out once I have all the things that I want.
Haven't taken the laptop to a game yet but I am getting closer to that point all the time.

 

[der_kluge]

Both. I print and bind the longer ones but use the shorter ones on my screen.

ditto.

 

[Nellisir]

Both, with a side order of copy and paste. Being able to copy and paste the parts I want is one of the best features of PDFs, making it much easier to put s monster into an adventure or to create a players handout. A fair number see print in bits and pieces.

Ditto (just printed the Advanced Gamemasters Guide, so I can read its yummy goodness in bed).

;-)
Nell.

 

[Kanegrundar]

I print out a select few, but I tend to use most of my pdf's from the desktop.

Kane

 

[IamTheTest]

I'll print out small quips if I know Im going to use them for an upcoming session. Other than that I just jot down what I need.

 

[Wombat]

Mainly I use them on screen, but sometimes I print them out (or, more often, parts of them).