PDF Vs. Print [Slight Rant]

[Olive]

Um . . . if you guys can spend hours reading the boards, why is reading PDFs tough?

they don't hurt, but my reading comprehession drops. the boards aren't available in print. and pdf's have smaller type in general, and't as scroll friendly and have columns that make them a paint in the butt. plus i have no laptop, so can't take them to the table. or read them in bed.

 

[Talvisota]

I'm all in favor of PDFs, and have purchased a handful.

Why? Check my location. Can't buy much print here.

Also, I print them at work, so it is technically free. (Don't tell my regional director.)

Still, the quality of a product is 90% the text of the product. How I get it matters little to me. I'd much prefer a well written and thought-out adventure in a PDF than a fancy-schmancy print with color pics and maps.

Just my 2cp.

 

[Kesh]

HTML might be a far better way to do it, IMHO. I might buy HTML products because they are simply screen friendly. PDFs simply aren't, at least not if they also meant to be possibly printed out. Ever. Show me one if you disagree with that statement.

Wow. So, you actually want him to prove something that's really based on a completely subjective opinion?

 

[Psion]

If you are not specifically using your computer for prep, this doesn't really hold true.

If you use your computer enough to buy PDFs in the first place, I think there is a pretty good chance you use your computer for prep as well.


At any rate, I have no real problems with double column formatting, but could understand why some people would (I used to have a problem with it myself, but then I discovered the scroll wheel.) Now I prefer column formatted for reading on the screen.

 

[Bagpuss]

I will not ever pay more then 3.99 for a PDF book.

Guess you don't mind many PDF's then since most start at around $5.00. And RPG Now the main seller have a minimum order of about $5.00 because with the charges for processing credit cards its not worth them allowing orders any lower.

 

[EricNoah]

I have lots of PDFs from various sources (freebies from publishers, samples from the ENnies, and even some that I purchased). I find that I don't use them. Which is odd, because I do all my prep at the computer.

That's not to say I don't use ANY electronic resources. One of my most heavily used is my html linked version of the SRD.

I use a lot of printed sourcebooks.

What I do like is to have both electronic and print of the same product. The SRD is one example of such an arrangement; Monte's Eldritch Might books are another example where I have both print and electronic, but I almost never crack open the PDF version unless I need to copy and paste something.

So my preferences would be, in this order:

1) Print and electronic
2) Print only
3) HTML electronic
4) PDF electronic

It has not really occurred to me to print out PDFs, and even now it doesn't seem like something I'd do unless I were desperate. It's a long inconvenient drive to the nearest copy shop.

 

[MThibault]

If you are not specifically using your computer for prep, this doesn't really hold true.

I suppose I should add that if you don't play RPGs, they'll be completely useless to you.

YMMV, but most people use their computer to one degree or another when prepping. PDFs can be one more tool when you are prepping.

If you want bathroom reading, you will have to print it out to serve that use. Then your costs and convenience will vary depending on your hardware, etc.

Cheers

 

[Psion]

There are a lot of PDFs I use that I do not have the print equivalant of. Most of Malhavoc's stuff, some of Ambient's stuff, and Chainmail Bikini's Beyond Monk come to mind.

 

[Michael Morris]

Michael Morris, you might be right about RTF when you include the images in the file (which I wasn't propagating), but PDF is about, what, three or four times the size when dealing with just text?

HTML might be a far better way to do it, IMHO. I might buy HTML products because they are simply screen friendly. PDFs simply aren't, at least not if they also meant to be possibly printed out. Ever. Show me one if you disagree with that statement.

So, not screen friendly, not printer friendly. The only thing it is friendly on is that it looks the same on every system. Wow. I am impressed.

Rav

First, There are many things that can affect the size of a PDF file. One of the largest is whether or not the fonts are embedded. If the PDF file embeds the font then yes, I can see an RTF file come out smaller, but not by much. Trust me, RTF files are very piggish on memory - that's why the format never caught on.

Second, HTML is not a very portable format at all, especially if the pages are driven by some sort of server-side control such as PHP (the method used on this server) or ASP. Without a server side control you can't see those pages as you intend without the server - which is a problem I face editting my webpages - I don't know **exactly** what they look like before I publish them. Even then, files can change from browser to browser. WotC's main page uses a browser detection call to bring up one of 10 templates to determine their front page!!

If you stick to HTML without any graphics at all you could - in theory - build an HTML file for printing. But HTML has no page breaks or true column controls (columns are done in HTML through the use of tables and layers). It would be a royal head-ache to get a file produced that could print out properly on ONE computer - but it probably won't print out right on any other system - anything from browser changes to user settings could throw the whole thing off. In short HTML is not meant for printing, nor was it ever.

PDF. Portable Document Format. This is the only format that the publisher can control every aspect of what the file will look like to the user. Whether you realize it or not Rav, this is a very important aspect of a professional presentation. Only PDF can guarantee that a page doesn't end with having only one sentance on it and nothing else but white space. Only PDF can reliably encode fonts in a document. Only PDF can preserve document appearance regardless of whether or not it is viewed on Windows (any version), Mac, Unix, Linux, and even some PDA's.

PDF is a print format Rav. It wasn't originally designed for on screen viewing, though Adobe has included some features in the later versions of PDF that add web features such as links. I have yet to see a d20 PDF that uses some of these features.

Now that's my careful explanation. I will close by saying that a lot of the problems faced with using formats other than PDF for the preparation of documents cannot be fully appreciated until you try it yourself. And by your suggestions Rav I can deduce that you have no such experience or you would realize the inherent problems in what you suggested.

 

[gariig]

That's not to say I don't use ANY electronic resources. One of my most heavily used is my html linked version of the SRD.

Do you mind sharing, that sounds interesting.

TIA,

Gariig