Print vs. Electronic Books

 A few years ago, I bought myself a Nook Color.  I already owned a Nook.  The thought of having a library at my fingertips was a satisfying thought for this bookworm.  After four years, my Nook has over 200 books, and that is not the ones that have been deleted.  Portable, with tons of room for more books, this should have been perfect.


And yet, I tend to drift to paper books. The bloom of the electronic book has died a bit.  My most recent purchase was a book that I wanted to read, was not at my library, and was on backorder when I went to purchase online.  I was willing to pay more for the print version than the ebook!  The price difference was at least five dollars.  So, I purchased the ebook... and I still want to purchase the print version.  The ebook just isn't the same.

My Latest eBook Selection

I thought that maybe the preference for print books was just me.  As much as loved having instant access to books, as many as I could fit and afford to purchase, on my Nook, it wasn't as great as I dreamed once the newness wore off.  I couldn't pinpoint why.  It didn't feel the same.  I noticed that I didn't lose myself in the eBooks as easily as I tended to with the print.  I figured that my brain had spent a lifetime using paper books, and maybe it just wasn't adjusting well to electronic.  Maybe I was just old fashioned.



So, I did a bit of research.  Was I the only one?

One of my daughter's digital books.

Schools are investing in iPads for students to do schoolwork on.  Colleges have electronic versions of textbooks, some of which are the only option available.  Economically, this makes sense.  The bulk of books is diminished.  Updates to texts can be made without having to reprint.  Links can be added to the eBooks that add videos or articles or even virtual tours to what the student is learning.  Ideally, electronic books should open up the world to students in numerous ways.



However, I have discovered that I am not alone.  A few well-known authors prefer print books over eBooks.

In fact, I have found articles with others that agree with me here and here and here.

For school, I have mostly used print books.  However, a couple of  years ago, because eBooks are often cheaper than print, I bought a bunch of the books I wanted my girls to read that year in digital form.  The girls read them from my Nook, and I didn't hear many complaints.  However, my daughters have also told me that they prefer "real" books versus eBooks.


A beautiful picture in The Little Princess

As I researched, I discovered that many students prefer printed books to eBooks as well.  According to Medical Daily, eBooks and their artificial light can mess with a person's sleep if used near bedtime.  This is a big deal to me, as insomnia has been something I have struggled with for years!  I have found this to be true, not only with me, but with my youngest daughter.  If I allow her to read on or read to her from a digital reader near bedtime, she doesn't want to sleep.  However, if I read to her from a print book, she falls asleep and sleeps more soundly.



Readers of eBooks have a more difficult time recalling the plot and events in books compared to those that use print books.  EBook readers also state that they are more easily distracted when they read in digital formats.  As a homeschooling mother with two children that struggle with attention issues, I find that screen time, whether video games or television or even eBooks should be limited.  It doesn't seem that eBooks would have the same impact on the brain as a video game or television, but whether it is the artificial light or the fact that the tactile senses of turning pages or the weight of the book, or the visual clues as the crease in the paper, my children do better with print.  Because of this, when I shop for curriculum now, I have chosen to use print as often as possible.

Our hardback Little Women has been read by four daughters and is still in great shape!

There are many reasons that some prefer eBooks over print. I used to feel the same way.  Actual experience seemed to fall short, however.  And, it wasn't always cheaper to use digital compared to print.  Reading on my Nook Color lost some of the allure with the poor charger design.  After paying nearly $300 dollars for the device, I then had to replace the charger four times in four years.  Since we used the Nook Color for school, it has worn out and doesn't charge well. If the Nook quits completely, then I must either buy a new Nook or an iPad or read on my smartphone.  Now, I realize that technology does age and wear out.  However, for a reading device, it isn't saving me much money if I have to replace the device for several hundred dollars every couple of years.  Even buying the simple e-readers can become costly if you want them to have a decent amount of memory and be durable enough to withstand children.



I purposely bought a large-screened smartphone so I could read on it more easily.  I reasoned that, unlike a Kindle or Nook, I would be replacing my smartphone every couple of years. I do use my smartphone to read articles, but I don't like reading books on it as much as I thought I would.  Like others stated, I get easily distracted.  I also cracked my screen recently, so until I can get it fixed, reading on it is difficult.  Unlike articles that scroll, eBooks don't work that way.  Designed to resemble the turning of pages in a book, single pages are stable.  I struggle to see the text where the screen is broken.



I will probably go back to mostly print books.  I do enjoy reading samples of eBooks so I can decide if I want to purchase the book in print.  My preference is print.  I want my children to retain what they read.  Our school books will be primarily print. Will we use digital books at all?  At the moment, I don't see me purchasing many.  I would much rather invest in audio books if I purchase an alternative to a print book. I love technology, but I don't like eBooks as I thought I would.