PDF now or Print later?

[haiiro]

I hate printed products, but sometimes you just cannot get everything on PDF.

Out of curiosity, why do you hate print products?

 

[Voadam]

I prefer pdf to print. There are only so many books my poor shelves can hold. Similarly the amount I can carry to a game has physical limitations, it is much nicer to bring the 2 pages each for the single monster I will be using from Minions Rebirth and GF Monsters rather than two whole print books in addition to the core tabletop books I bring. It is also nice to have access to dozens of sourcebooks at the game on a laptop.

I also do a lot of word processing with gaming material and cutting and pasting is a lot easier than inputting for my campaign list of feats or my wizard's complete spellbook.

 

[Wombat]

In my case this varies heavily by product. First up, some items are (at least currently) only available in .pdf (or non-.pdf). If the book looks like something I won't be referencing that often, .pdf is fine. And then there are budget constraints -- some items I pick up in .pdf form because I know I won't be able to afford more at the time (or in the near future). Finally if something is of minor interest, but not major, I'll pick it up in .pdf, thus saving myself some money and shelf-space (a premium in my world).

A lot of variant classes, PrCs and the like are only needed once in a while; I can call this up on computer. Spell lists get a bit trickier and those often need to be printing out, thus the cut against .pdf (cost, time, bother).

But like I said, I make the decision on a case-by-case basis.

 

[KnowTheToe]

I always wait to buy it in print. PDFs don't look as nice on my bookshelf, and the cost of printing them out is almost as much as buying it later anyway. Since I sit at a computer almost all day, I don't want to have to turn it on everytime I want to look something up, with a book, I just have to pull it off the shelf, and I can throw it in my bag when I go to a game. The few PDFs I have purchased, I've printed & had spiral bound, so I could use it at the table and have a hard copy whenever I needed it.

This is a wise individual.

 

[EArly]

PDF if i can get it. I dont have to go to the store, I dont have to wait for a mail order. And since I have access to some nice printers and copiers at work I can make multiple copies easily as necessary. PDF's rock! But if there is no alternative print will do.

 

[Crothian]

I'd get the pdf, then if its really good you can also buy the book later.

 

[Nifft]

I like PDFs. Clickable indices rule.

-- N

 

[Umbran]

I like PDFs. Clickable indices rule.

A clickable index is nice, if the producer creates a good one, which isn't guaranteed. And you can't really "leaf through" a pdf.

 

[knight_isa]

Personally, I'd rather have print, if it's available.

I bought the BoEM in PDF form, then realized a couple of months later I could have had it in print for just a few dollars more. I decided that I wouldn't do that again, but later I bought the BoHM in PDF form when I fell prey to "I want it NOW." Once again, a couple of months later it was out for just a few dollars more.

The final straw, though, was AMMS:WE. Sure, the print version cost three times as much as the PDF (I got the PDF on special for $8) and came out months later, but printing about 140 pages is a bit much, and it's the sort of book that's better read while lounging on the couch.

I'll wait next time.

 

[Alejandro]

Out of curiosity, why do you hate print products?

For many of the reasons already stated above, but also because I dislike paper and clutter in general. I'm pretty much an anti-packrat, but still have nine boxes of gaming products from my youth taking up space in my garage. Since the advent of PDFs and ESDs, I've been much happier about my gaming habit.

At the table, I find myself participating in fewer rules debates, simply because I don't keep books at hand. This encourages me to memorize more, and forces me to research and justify rules interpretations in a non-disruptive fashion later.

I'm one of those who cannot, will not, write on books, but I'll happily cut/paste/correct PDFs. 3.x errata annoy me to no end, which makes me love Malhavoc's errata patches all the more.

I backup data religiously, so don't fear a loss of "investment" with electronic products.