And if so, why?
Ask HN: Do academics still use printers?
1–10 of 41 posts
Re: Ask HN: Do academics still use printers?
#2I used to because it is easier to proofread on paper than on a screen. Or maybe it's just the switch up that's useful. Seeing a document presented differently somehow just makes it easier to look at it with fresh eyes and spot mistakes.
Re: Ask HN: Do academics still use printers?
#3Because they're everywhere in universities.
Children also love printouts and worksheets.
Re: Ask HN: Do academics still use printers?
#4I print out academic papers so that I can highlight in different colors, write in the margins in different colors and to throw into a bag and read on public transport.
When I write papers, usually in collaboration with others, it is far easier to scribble in the margins, draw lines to reorganize sections, etc. And you get a better sense of how the paper will look once published.
and ... it is nice to have a break from staring at a screen and being able to sit on a couch, etc. Yes, I do use an iPad, but paper is nice. Interested to see how the new Amazon Kindle Scribe will feel when it is released, mind you it's only B&W.
Re: Ask HN: Do academics still use printers?
#5Yes. I'm a math professor and I use a printer, although not too often. Most common use cases:
- When I'm teaching, if I have typed up notes I'll print out a copy to refer to in class. I can easily circle mistakes during class (to be corrected later), and I don't have to worry if I get chalk all over them.
- For the reason that GlanFabien said. If I want to read a paper carefully (this includes a draft of my own work), I'll often print it out. This lets me scribble notes in the margin, take it with me easily, and it puts distractions one step further away.
Conversely, if I just want to skim a paper I will just read it on a computer or tablet.
- If I'm traveling I will print out copies of airline and hotel reservations and things like this. These aren't really necessary, I'm mostly just hedging my bets in case something goes wrong.
Conversely, most things I don't print. For example I just read 250+ job applications, each of which comes with eight documents at a minimum (CV, statement of research plans, rec letters, etc.) and I printed none of them.
Re: Ask HN: Do academics still use printers?
#6I mostly don’t; however, there are many people who prefer reading papers, well, on paper (which makes sense, as most LaTeX templates are adapted for printing, not for screen reading), and that’s quite understandable.
Re: Ask HN: Do academics still use printers?
#7I'm a higher ed sysadmin and yes, yes they do. I have faculty that refuse to accept digital assignments and require their students to turn in their work by hand during office hours. I have other faculty that require every student to print out the assigned reading and bring it to class. I've been preaching for "green months" where I just turn off the print server but that's falling on deaf ears it seems like.
Re: Ask HN: Do academics still use printers?
#8Yes, taking notes on paper, proofreading, quick sketches or formulas are much easier with a pen. Also exams are printed.
So why not a tablet? Infinite battery life and easy crossreferencing, e.g. just put page 2, 15 and 47 next to each other -> would need three tablets. Furthermore writing on glass still is different, even matte glass.
So while more and more parts of work are "digital", for some parts you still want "analog".
Re: Ask HN: Do academics still use printers?
#9I'm a higher ed sysadmin and yes, yes they do. I have faculty that refuse to accept digital assignments and require their students to turn in their work by hand during office hours. I have other faculty that require every student to print out the assigned reading and bring it to class. I've been preaching for "green months" where I just turn off the print server but that's falling on deaf ears it seems like.
Please read the other responses here and consider that maybe your colleagues have a better idea of what they need than you do.
Re: Ask HN: Do academics still use printers?
#10Yes, for all the reasons impendia listed.
I would also add: cross referencing a printed out paper (or book!) is much faster and easier than on a computer. I think this has something to do with the physicality of the medium. If I’m deep in a paper or a book, it begins to feel like an extension of my body. I can simultaneously track where many different things are in the document just by feel. Over time, you get experience with papers and books you’re well acquainted with. For some reason, this process just never seems to go as far with something on a computer screen. I think it has something to do with spatial memory in people being so powerful, and manipulating an object physically being more keyed to spatial memory than manipulating something abstractly on a computer.