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The ever ongoing debate of whether paper books or e-books are the better choice. Here are a few advantages of both formats.
5 Advantages of Printed Books:
1. No Screen Glare
Especially for those who work in an office environment, it can be nice, as well as needed, to have a break from staring at a computer screen all day.
2. Decoration of Bookshelf
It’s nice to walk in to a room or library and see shelves filled with books. It gives a pleasant feel in a place, a homely feel.
3. Easy to See Reading Progress
When reading a physical book, you have the advantage of easily being able to see how close you are to reaching the back cover.
4. No Worry of Battery Running Out
E-readers may have benefits, but an advantage of a paper book is not having the worry of an e-reader battery going dead. Something which could be frustrating if it happened when reading a cliff-hanger and the anticipation is too much to bear to find out what happens next.
5. Take a Book Anywhere
I think it’s fair to say that a book can also be taken anywhere. More so true for novels, but they are usually of a size that can be carried, or placed in a handbag to take with you if you think you might have time to spare when out and about.
5 Advantages of E-Books:
1. Read Anywhere
An e-reader takes up less space than a book, most are a slimmer than a physical book. Also, depending on the e-reader or how the service is being accessed, there is also the option to read between several devices.
2. Take up Less Space
There are no physical books to store anywhere, they are all saved on device or in the cloud, therefore a great option for someone who loves to read and perhaps lives in a dwelling with little space for storage.
3. Usually Delivered to Device Immediately
When purchasing a book in e-book format, usually the book is delivered to the device immediately and made available for download. If you’re anxious to read the book you’ve just bought, it has the advantage of not having to wait for it to be delivered.
4. Can Read in the Dark
For some e-readers, they have built in backlight, making it possible to read in the dark. If you’re too engrossed to want to switch off when you’re partner has gone to sleep, you can read on at your leisure.
5. Fonts Can Be Adjusted
There are people in the world who may have an eyesight impairment but do not enjoy audiobooks, but have enough vision to be able to read with larger writing. E-readers allow the reader to adjust the settings of the writing to make the font larger, or to adjust the colour. The same can be done for everyone, even if just for personal preference. I have my e-reader set to a sepia background and brown writing as it is less harsh on the eyes than the standard black and white.
With all that in mind, I can say I have books both in paper format and e-book format. I’ve taken more recently to e-books due to being able to read on several devices and pick up where I left up from. If I’m out and about and find myself having to spend time waiting for any reason, I can pull out my phone, open my app and start reading from where I left off. Whilst that’s great, I do have to say, it feels more nostalgic to hold and read from a physical book. Some books, reference books in particular, I prefer to have as a printed copy.
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