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Message: <blockquote data-quote="nopantsyet" data-source="post: 649558" data-attributes="member: 3109">That's a big thing right there.  Not everyone has unfettered access to printing and binding equipment, much less on their company's dime.  If you go to a print shop, pay computer time and printing costs to laser print then bind, it is absolutely *not* an inexpensive option.  And as convenient as spiral binding might be on a table, cardstock covers do not last as long as even quality soft covers and spiral bindings are hell on anything else around them, including other spiral bindings.  Not to mention that the quality and durability of the paper and ink are subpar.  You can double your printing costs and get better paper, but unless you triple it for archival quality paper, the toner will still smudge given the opportunity to absorb oils from your hand.  Anyone who had any college courses with  copy-shop texts knows firsthand how poorly this compares to even a softcover binding.Not that I think it's a bad idea, I have considered doing it myself, considering that a mediocre binding is better than none.  But the economics of it are just not good.  Take Elements of Magic.  At 98 pages, you're looking at ~$7 for printing plus another $3 for computer time, then ~$6 for binding.  So you're spending $16 for the on top of the $8 you paid for the PDF and you're up to $24, which is $0.95 less that I just paid for Traps & Treachery II, a 168-page hardcover.So I'll stick to my guns.  The best handbound book will never compare to a decent published product in quality or economy.  But I will continue to buy PDFs because there's alot of good material out there.  And I'll hope more companies do what Malhavoc and Natural 20 have done in having companies with the resources handle the publication.</blockquote>

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