Do you prefer digital or physical books?

I do prefer reading physical books, but I almost exclusively read on my ereader because of easy availability of whatever I want, and it doesn't take up tons of space like books do.

Compared to my kindle, I hate real books. No worries about lighting. Page always flat. Lighter. Never lose what page you're on. Less space and hundreds of books can be kept right there. Still looks like real paper. Font and size to your own preference.

There's really no downside at all for me. I never cared how a book "smelled". That's for sure.

If you have an ereader with an eink screen... it's a no-brainer. Digital books are soooo good.

• virtually no weight
• virtually no space
• waaaaay cheaper
• your local library has probably a way bigger and more accessible catalogue of ebooks than physical ones
• tap and hold a word and get an automatic definition/translation
• adjust text size or font
• dark mode, if you into that (in some models)
• Text-to-speech (in some models)
• highlight text and write notes without f-ing up pages
• literally translate entire phrases or look particular information from Wikipedia or similar with a simple gesture.
• backup all of those and do crazy stuff like an automatic daily email to yourself with cool notes you took months/years ago.

Physical books nowadays are like vynil music... it's for the artwork and having a physical "certificate" of something you love. Like... if I discover a book I really enjoy, I'll probably buy a physical version so I can, you know, have it there on the shelf, like you have family pics or something.

Depends. Digital is usually best for me since I can read on my phone pretty much anytime anywhere.

That said, some books feel like they work best in your hand, like The Book of Disquiet, which has so many notes at the end and I haven't found a comfortable enough way to skip back on forth without having to scroll through a lot to get to where I was, or House of Leaves, which is more like a fun hands-on puzzle to play with.

I think e-ink readers are incredible. My eyes feel like they're reading a normal book, but it's got a backlight, doesn't take up a bunch of physical space I don't have, and it's a lot easier to read using only one hand at a time (even turning pages).

• The <1% of books I love: physical
• The >99% of everything else: digital

I think I overall prefer digital, but on e-ink devices mostly.

I like that they don't take up space, I can download them quickly and not have to go to the bookstore or order it online and wait for it to be delivered. Also I can sync it on multiple devices and read on my kindle when I really want to have a good reading experience but if I forget it or am waiting for the bus or something, just pull up the kindle app on my phone and everything is synced.

On the other hand, growing up with a lot of books I kinda miss the feel and smell of physical books. Also I feel like they are a bit more... "permanent".

I prefer physical. But my shelves were full and the wood groaning. I use a kindle these days.

I used to prefer physical, because I read on my phone and never really paid attention. Used my phone to read for a year and read a ton of books but don't remember any of them. Couple years ago I bought a kindle and ever since I haven't bought a single physical book, opting to buy them instead through amazon.

Don't think I'll ever go back to physical, honestly, it's just too convenient. Digital is less bulky, not just in storage but in my hands, pages don't wear down from turning, and I can fit my kindle in my front pockets and read anywhere, any time.

I dislike having to give money to amazon though.

Both. I prefer digital generally because I'm a digital hoarder and I love seeing my Calibre library get bigger and carrying my Kobo around, but there's something satisfying about seeing my bookmark make steady progress through a physical book (slowly; I'm a slow reader).

Digital. I love physical books, but I never read them. Digital is so much easier for me to actually sit down and read, and I love building up my library.

I reluctantly started reading ebooks years ago for a very practical reason: owning some few thousand physical books, I pretty much ran out of room in the shelves in my small apartment. So nowadays I only buy physical art books and the like. Having said this, I actually easily grew to like ebooks, for their ubiquitous availability and, of course, not taking up precious shelf space.

Have to read them in an ereader for a proper experience, though. Tablet/smartphone displays tire my eyes a lot if I read for any meaningful period of time.

Digital, no contest.

I'm an old guy and I've been buying and reading books for most of my life. I own thousands of them, filling up shelves and stacked on tables and cluttering everything, and that's even with the bulk of them in boxes in my garage. I love them and I love being surrounded by them, but they're a chore and a burden.

And I have a collection of almost as many ebooks, all in a few GB on a tablet.

So ebooks win on space and convenience.

As far as the actual process of reading goes, they're pretty close to the same, but ebooks have a bit of an edge. I have no issues with a screen, so words on a screen or words on paper are pretty much the same. Physical pages though are bound along one edge and flexible and generally at least subtly curved, while a screen is perfectly flat and evenly lit. Also, on a physical page, I'm stuck with whatever typeface is there, while with an ebook, I can scale it to whatever I want or even change the font or colors or whatever. so ebooks win there too.

And while I'm reading an ebook, I can search the text for any term or character name or phrase, so I can refresh myself on things or find a particular passage or whatever without laboriously thumbing through the pages, and I can switch over to a browser anytime to get background for anything or just look up a word.

And when I finish or drop an ebook, I can just tap the back arrow to go to my shelf, or switch over to an app or browser and go online, and find another one.

So... yeah. I really don't think there's one single thing that physical books do better than ebooks, other than serving as decoration - filling space on shelves.

you can get ebooks for free without a library

Personally, I prefer physical books, especially if it's a book that I really like. There's just something about physically having the book and knowing that you won't lose access to it unless something happens to the book. That being said most of my reading these days is digital simply due to the fact that I don't have the space for all the books I want. Ebooks are just too convenient when it comes to saving space. Still, if it's a book that I think I am going to keep coming back to then I would probably get a physical copy.

Definitely prefer a real book, of course a ton of convenience to be gained by the various ebook readers. One thing I'll say I have a very hard preference for though is at least an e-ink screen when reading on a digital device. Spend enough time on backlit screens, way nicer when I can't have a physical book to have e-ink and regular lighting.

Do you prefer digital or physical books?

Digital. I live in 76ft^2^ and can no longer store thousands of physical books like I did in a "sticks and bricks" house. But there are ~13,000 easily stored between the e-ink kindle and waiting in the wings in calibre.

Reading is a big part of my retirement plan.

It's much nicer to read from physical ones, but i reality I end up borrowing digital copies or audiobooks. I travel often and real books take space, too much I'm afraid.

Digital, but specifically on an e-ink device. I can't stand trying to read an ebook on an LCD/LED display

I used to be always for physical books. Then in 2018 I ran out of space in my bookcase and shifted to reading on my phone. Now I am so used to it I can't read physical books anymore... especially since a lot of books I read sometimes are doorstoppers and my phone is definitely smaller and lighter than any physical book I may read.

Physical. I read a lot and a real book won't run out of battery.

I strongly dislike reading from a tablet but I've been meaning to buy a Kindle for some time. Unfortunately they are still ridiculously high priced in my country, so I haven't bit the bullet yet.

I've really wanted to like digital but it just feels lacking to me. I buy pretty much exclusively used and love buying the oldest print of a book I'm looking for. The feel and smell of the paper, the difference in typeface, line spacing and page size between books, the artwork, all the things are important to me I guess. Bonus points if someone left notes or highlighter marks or old library stamps. It's more than just words to read for me.

Plus I like seeing them on the shelf, like little badges of accomplishment for making it through the book, or encouragement to read it if I haven't already.

digital because pirate

I prefer to own the physical, and make a DRM-free digital copy for myself. Best of both worlds: I own a physical copy they cannot revoke and that I can transcode again if needed, and I can carry a digital copy that I can watch anywhere on my own terms.

Physical without a doubt

Physical because its better for reading. But limited space at my home mean I am most buying digital nowadays.

I almost always start digital, either ebook or audiobook then buy a physical copy later if I liked it. It's just a lot less friction for starting something new, no needing to go out of my way to a library/bookstore or wait for something to be delivered. Sometimes I'll just take a gamble on something physical if I'm looking for a new travel book or I'm killing time in a library/bookstore though.

Physical. You do not really own your digital book and you have to depend on a devise that can break/need charging to read.

@JackGreenEarth@lemm.ee @asklemmy@lemmy.ml Physical Books. Love the tactile experience and visual representation of % complete. No issues with digital sometimes more practical when lending from the library. Not keen on buying ebooks.

Physical. Support your local library!

Pretty sure this is asking about entertainment literature like novels. I have no real opinion, as I very rarely read those.

Now, technical books like school textbooks and reference texts, physical. Absolutely no contest. I loathe clunkily scrolling around on two separate axes to negotiate pages where the content is nonlinear, broken up by interspersed photos, figures, and tables.

Digital, nearest bookstore that sells legitimate copy is around 200 km from my hometown.

I prefer digital books. Not only can I have an entire library in my hands the books are also cheaper making them easier to buy.

Now that I have a Kindle, digital all the way. It's so nice to just throw that tiny thing in a bag and read somewhere, and if you finish your book there are a bunch more on your device. I like that the Kindles allow you to email ebooks to your address to be downloaded so you're not locked into the Amazon store.

If it’s just text (paperback novels), digital. If it has some illustrations, or is a comic or an art book, physical. Same for technical books with diagrams: physical. I don’t have an iPad or a large ebook to appreciate graphic content in the same way as in a physical book. I have no problems reading novels off my phone, on the other hand.

Not for every kind of book, I'd say but digital... 8.5 times out of 10. E-ink screens are amazing and just as good as paper, but having your books also available on your phone, and thus always in your pocket, is transformative. So, digital on a platform that syncs between devices.

Digital - easier to carry and to handle while reading. Plus u can read on a phone/laptop in dark environments as well. However for reading on a plane, where I'm sitting in one place, I somehow prefer physical books as they're less painful than looking at a lit up screen for extended periods of time.

Digital because you can alternate between stuff.

I really don't see the appeal of paperbooks anymore. Ebooks are infintly more practical. Lightweight and easily fillable with endless content. Why would I ever want to lug around a single novel when I can just slide my entire library in my purse?

Physical but I have to use digital. An e-ink reader plus an external hard drive allows me to read entire libraries worth of books anywhere I go. You keep two hard drives with a RAID system and you can store those with almost zero risk of failure barring two mechanical faults occurring at once.

What do I use the most? Ebooks, by far, for all the normal reasons. There's just something nice about physical books though, especially old hardback.

Physical. I love the smell of paper.

I do occasionally use a Kobo, which is a very convenient little device. However, I prefer a paper book.

I'm more likely to read digital on my phone since it's usually nearby.

Physical. The whole feel of it and for old books the smell. Can't beat it. But I still read most books on my phone or a Kindle.

Digital because I can read all of my childhood favorites or new finds on my phone!

Digital for sure. Who has room for physical books? The physical books that I've somehow gathered over the years are the worst items I have in terms of volume (or mass) relative to their utility.

I prefer digital books because of the following points:

• There is a book price control in Germany, meaning that you can't get new physical books cheaper. This does not apply to digital books.
• They take less physical space.
• I can read them everywhere with either my Smartphone that I already have with me at all times or my tablet. I do not have to plan to read a book when I'm on the go.
• I can quickly search for something in a reference book if I have it in digital form. This is not possible with physical books.

Only downside:

• I need to have a device when I want to read a digital book. And this needs to be charged. But this is rarely a problem.

I prefer digital with no drm but if that is not possible I will get a physical book.

I prefered physical books for the texture of the pages and the smell of the paper. And my eyes become quickly tired on a screen.
However, I probably read more on screen, btw text messages, social media and articles... I also read comics : super shorts onse, or webtoon that are beautifully designed for a digital reading experience, unlike many digital novel.

And OP, you forget about audiobooks.

I prefer either physical or audiobooks. I seem to have a hard time concentrating and reading books digitally.

I go about 50/50 these days.

Browsing a bookstore will always beat out a website. Favorite books or authors will always get a physical purchase. Used books are cheap and awesome. And sometimes lengthy books are easier for me to get through if they're physical.

But I love the convenience of my Kindle. I have a ton of books and can add to that collection any time I want. I can adjust text size, font, etc. Dictionary lookup. Syncs progress with the phone app so I can literally pick up and read anywhere.

Digital on the Kindle Paperwhite, but only because it's easier and I don't accumulate a physical book if I buy it (if the library doesn't have it). I like book books but don't like owning many books.

Comics/graphic novels I like on paper. No other format compares.

Can't do audiobooks, I read faster than I talk or listen so the pace bothers me.

For entertainment, eBooks. Makes reading in bed so much more comfortable.

For non fiction, audio books. I listen to that stuff on the road while I am receptive.

For non fiction that I need to reference here and there, paper books.

I haven't investigated, but I'd give digital books a shake if I could find a solution that doesn't put control of my library in the hands of Amazon or similar, phone home for analytics, etc. I don't object to the idea in principal. But until I feel safe doing it, I'm still reading physical books.

I know traditionally the dream fantasy of book readers has been to own an expansive physical library, with shelf after shelf full of book spines, but I just could never get into it. I'm a data hoarder, not an object hoarder! All my books are digital, mandatory in plaintext DRM-free format, sorted and backed up. I find joy in the knowledge that everything I have ever read is instantly grep'able, ageless, and can fit in my pocket (on a thumbdrive) wherever I go.

I do prefer to read on e-ink as well, because the device is lighter than any book, guaranteed to fit in my pocket, can hold multiple books, and gives me control over font size. The only downside is when the battery gets old it needs more frequent recharging. A paper book will not refuse to work for lack of power!

For reading, digital. I can have access to a functionally unlimited number of books. They also tend to be less expensive. That makes a difference for media like manga where it racks up pretty quickly. And I can make adjustments to the text and lighting that help with readability.

I still like having some books around as decoration. They bring a room together nicely.

Digital most of the time, physical for the special books I like

Non fiction: Physical all the way Fiction: Whilst I like physical books I rarely make myself time to read them so I mostly consume them in audiobook format.

I've never really got on well with ebooks, I had a cheap kindle about 8 years ago and I think I maybe read about 3 or 4 books on it - in fact I think it was Hugh Howey's Silo series and nothing else.

I prefer real paper books. Unfortunately, they can't be pirated, they cost hundreds of dollars per book, my desk cannot accommodate by binder, computer, and also a textbook. If a textbook is under $60 I'll get it regardless if I can/have the e book, but that's because it's not from a big company and I'm not paying for some CEOs seventh yacht, instead it's supporting the person/people who wrote it.

As someone who used to write extensive notes in the margins of books digital notetaking has forever replaced physical books for me.

E-ink all the way

Physical. Paper or fiche!

Physical. My ideal invention would look like a blank book. Pages would feel like paper. Insert a 'disc' and text downloads onto the pages. Now it looks and reads like a physical book. Perfect for camping/travel. After you finish the story, you can change the text to a new novel. Of course, you could have pictures and other illustrations. Probably wouldn't be a giant seller, but I'd want one.

Digital for entertaining books, paper for technical stuff. But most of the time can't afford one, so just digital.

Physical because it's easier to focus.

I can't read anything longer than 100 or so pages on my phone, I just put it down and never pick back up. I like physical books but I mostly read on e-ink kobo. The last few big doorstop type books were/are on e-ink

I prefer an e-reader and digital books. I pirate them for my kindle.

• No space and weight so you can take them anywhere
• Piracy
• Can download far faster than ordering or going to the bookstore
• Can find niche or foreign books my local bookstores don't have
• Built-in dictionary and translation is just moah
• Adjustable text size or font
• Easy on the eyes, can read in the dark
• Can pick up where you left off super easily, no need to worry about bookmarks

I was not an avid reader prior to the Kindle purchase. I used to read comic books almost exclusively haha. Nowadays my reading habits include more book reading as well. The Kindle was honestly one of the best purchases I've ever made.

Digital! But only in a kindle paperwhite. Or perhaps any other e-ink screen, but not LEDs.

• I can read lying down on my side without having to roll over or hold the book weird
• If I drop it in the tub it doesn’t matter
• I can change the font of whatever I read to OpenDyslexic, which helps me read faster and with far less eye strain
• I can read in the dark
• I can highlight portions and take notes without permanently marking up a book
• I can long-press any word to see its definition. Same for translations of vocab I don’t know when I’m reading in Spanish
• I can get a new book in seconds
• I get to finally have an aspect of the third millennium technology that I actually kind of enjoy

Digital without a doubt.

• More convenient to travel with it
• Awesome how the e-ink looks just like paper and draws little energy
• Your entire library can take much less space
• Save the trees
• If it gets damaged, only your device will be destroyed, but your library (hopefully) remains (if you make backups)
• Instant access to basically any book (no need to wait for delivery or in-person shopping)

To me, my Kobo was one of the best investments I've ever made. Before buying it, I didn't really read many books

For the books I love and want to read over and over, physical. For the books I want to read once and maybe reference from time to time, digital all the way. My e-reader makes digital books a breeze to read, and I'm actually at the point where it's 5GB of storage isn't enough for my library.

Digital works really well for me. My phone can carry an effectively infinite number of books. I can try before I buy with Google Play. I can grab library books with Libby.

For my kids, reading on paper is perfect. Nice big text. They can put their finger on the page. When reading long books, they see their progress as they work their way through.

Absolutely digital.

If it's fanfiction/non-comics, then digital all the way. But if it's comics or manga, then having a physical copy is always super nice.

For all the logical reasons - space, portability, seachability yada yada - ebooks win all the time.

However, if I am reading in comfort at home and have the option I will still go for a paperback every time. Paperback, mind. Not a hardback, which have never appealed to me.

Physical except when I need to quickly search for something, in that case digital.

ebooks. I read better with a back light, I have found, and generally read with light text on a dark background, both of which my tablet makes really easy

Reading Ebooks is like watching a movie on a (crappy) smartphone. It’s just not as enjoyable for me.