Chapter 6

Ten Differences Between an eBook and a Paper Book

The Part of Tens: one of the key elements of a For Dummies book, tolerated by some, beloved by many, and expected by nearly everyone.

Invisible Ink

Starting with the most obvious, an eBook uses neither paper nor ink. It simulates ink by creating temporary dark dots against a reflective near-white surface, or (in an LCD tablet) by darkening a tiny shutter to block the bright backlight behind the screen.

Heavy Hitter

An eBook essentially weighs nothing; it’s made up of tiny electrical charges stored in a memory chip. The eReader itself weighs as little as eight ounces or as much as a pound no matter how many books it stores. A bestselling hardcover book often weighs a full pound. So, a stack of 100 books you’ve packed for a round-the-world sea voyage would weigh 0 on an eReader and 100 pounds if you lug the bound volumes.

Mite-y Recharge

An eBook requires occasional recharging of its batteries; an ink-on-paper book sometimes needs to be dusted.

Huddle Up

Owners of a vast collection of paper books can display them on the shelves of a handcrafted piece of walnut furniture to impress all visitors. Owners of the complete original works of Dickens, Twain, Austen, and Shakespeare in eBook form can ask friends to gather around their screen.

Don’t Try This

If you drop an eBook from a great height, it will probably break. If a printed book tumbles from a shelf, a page might bend.

Dog Ear Gone

On the other hand, you can insert a bookmark or a note in an electronic book without folding over a page or despoiling the beautiful print. You’ll merely be adding a few more 0s and 1s to an electronic file.

Look It Up

If you don’t know the meaning of a word or a reference in a printed book, you’ll have to find a dictionary or an encyclopedia and look it up. Most eReaders have a built-in dictionary and web access.

Garaveticsans

When you buy a printed book, you’re forever stuck with the decisions of a designer who does not see the world through your well-seasoned eyes. In most eBooks, you can select the typeface you prefer (including, possibly, Garamond or Helvetica, and either serif or sans serif fonts).

Moving Pictures

Advanced versions of books with graphics, photos, and other multimedia elements are on the verge of becoming amazingly interactive on a tablet computer (not so much on an E Ink eReader). They’ll be able to show videos, play recorded speech or music, and otherwise amaze, impress, and educate.

Go Commando

As the owner of an eReader, you never need to get out of your bathrobe to shop for a new book.