Are Ebooks Printable? Should They Be?
Most ebooks are not printable, and if you're not sure whether an ebook is printable
, it's best to assume that it is not. Now that ebook reading devices have become more popular, more people will be buying ebooks for those devices instead of purchasing ebooks with the intent to print them onto paper. However, there are still situations in which a person will buy an ebook and expect to be able to print it, and some basic knowledge about the printability of the most popular ebook formats will be useful in those situations.
The majority of ebooks are not printable at all. Let's consider each ebook format separately:
Kindle AZW Format:
I don't own a Kindle or use Kindle ebooks (I have a BeBook Neo) so I've never tried to print a Kindle ebook. However, I searched Amazon's Kindle Help section and I couldn't find any information about printing at all. This leads me to believe that Kindle ebooks don't have a printing function. Since they are designed to be read on Kindle devices, or other Kindle apps for your computer or mobile devices, it makes sense that a printing function would not have been built into the software.
Microsoft Reader Format:
Microsoft Reader ebooks are not printable. Microsoft did not build a printing function into the software.
Mobipocket Reader Format:
Mobipocket Reader ebooks are not printable. Mobipocket did not build a printing function into the software. This makes sense because even though Mobipocket ebooks can be read on a Windows PC, they were primarily designed for reading on mobile devices like Blackberrys, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, etc.
Palm eReader Format:
There is no printing function because this software was designed to be used on mobile devices.
EPUB Format:
EPUB ebooks are printable by default. If the EPUB file is being protected by DRM, such as with Adobe's Content Server DRM, then the publisher of the ebook can disable the printing function. If you're not sure whether this has been done, it's safest to assume that you won't be able to print the ebook. Don't buy an ebook with the intention of printing it if you're not sure whether you will be able to print it.
PDF Format:
PDF is the most likely candidate for printing, but you still have to make sure that printing hasn't been disabled by the publisher of the ebook. When a PDF file is created with Adobe Acrobat, the creator of the file can change the document security so that printing is not allowed. (Other features can also be disabled, such as the ability to copy text from the document.)
Other File Formats like Word, txt, HTML:
Microsoft Word files (.doc), plain text files (.txt) and HTML files (.htm or .html) are printable.
Should eBooks Be Printable?
My opinion is that ebooks do not need to be printable. One of the inherent differences between an ebook and a paper book is that the ebook is not printed on paper. If you buy an ebook and then print it, you lose some of the benefits of ebooks like the fact that they don't use trees for paper, and the fact that they are digital files that don't take up physical space.
In my experience, the most common reason why ebooks are purchased with the intent of printing them is because the customer figures that he or she can download an ebook and print it faster than waiting for the shipment of a paper book. Cost should be considered before doing this. Printer paper and printer ink are so expensive that by the time you purchase an ebook and print it, you can easily end up paying twice what you would have paid if you simply bought the paper version of the book.
Another situation that might lend itself to printing an ebook is when an independent author has self-published his or her book as an ebook, but it's not available as a paper book. In that case, a person might be interested in the content of the book but not want to read it on their computer screen. In this situation, printing an ebook makes a little more sense, but it will still be costly.
Many book publishers don't want their ebooks to be printable because they are concerned about copyright violations. Printing an ebook multiple times with the intention of re-selling it is much easier than scanning a book and then printing off multiple copies.
There are some cases in which an ebook needs to be printable. Some ebooks contain maps, charts, or other graphics that might need to be printed.
There are also ebooks that contain plays or sheet music that might need to be printed by the person who is using them. In those cases, it is important that the book publisher leave the printing function available for the consumer. As a consumer, don't assume that this has been done. If you are buying an ebook with the intention of printing it, check with the seller before placing your order.
You can determine fairly easily whether an ebook will be printable or not if you consider the format of the ebook and whether or not it is protected by DRM. If the ebook is EPUB or PDF, it will probably be printable if there is no DRM present. If the ebook is in a format that was designed for use on e-readers or other mobile devices, then it is not printable. If you're buying a current popular ebook from a mainstream ebook retailer, you should assume that the publisher of the book requires DRM on the download, which will disable printing in most cases.
All in all, if you want a printed book, then the best solution is to buy a printed book.
by: Jared Scott
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