Reviewing electronic communication may be a function of fatigue on the eyes. Many people will briefly examine at a text-intensive document on a computer, but will opt for printing the document for complete reading. This is noticed in universities (such as NYU) where students are offered electronic books, course handouts, and other online references; yet, most students will PRINT these online items, before reading or studying. Why do this?

Quality

Some claim that online (computer-based) text is offered at 72-96 dots per inch (DPI), regardless of font-size. Whereas print (hard copy), from office devices like ink-jet or laser-jet printers, is 300-1200 DPI. Based on that scenario, it appears easier to read text when the quality of the print is better.

To be accurate, video (the computer screen) is NOT measured in “dots-per-inch”. Instead, the computer monitor uses “pixels”, so it is difficult to try to compare output from a printer to display on a monitor in terms of print quality. In fact, monitors are different sizes (12-inch, 15-inch, etc.) and are set to different screen resolutions (800×600, 1024×768, etc.), compounding the comparison even more.

Nonetheless, one can agree that (1) print is typically higher in quality than screen display; and, (2) screens vary across users.

Thus, electronic documents are subject to a person’s technology and readers with different computers will be looking at the same content differently, based on the computer itself. However, print recipients will see things exactly in the same way, based on the quality of the print. A copy of a magazine looks the same to whoever is holding it.

This is not to say that no one reads online content. It just indicates that when it comes to more extensive reading, most of us will choose the hard copy version of the document. For example, people who go online to find a research article, tend to just read the abstract, and then download the article only to print it for later reading. It is not surprising, then, that screen resolution can affect whether someone can read comfortably on the electronic device, which is why many students choose to print online reference items for longer-term review (like studying).

Convenience

There is also an issue of convenience when comparing PRINT with ONLINE reading. PRINT meets the test of the 3 B’s — Bed, Bath, and Bus. You can more easily read print anywhere, in bed, in the bathroom, or when traveling. Electronic print carries the additional limitations of battery power, ambient lighting, and even portability (weight), thus making it less convenient.

What is your preference for reading, print version or screen version?