Timely topic for me... just got Nooks for my daughters.
I was trained as a print designer (ask me some day about copyfitting, typesetting, galleys, amberlith, waxers, etc. You guys don't know what "fun" you missed.) I constantly hear new media of all types "will never completely replace the printed page." Sad as I am to say it, I totally disagree.
Whatever might be said for the aesthetics of printed materials, I think we have to assume that paper and ink will virtually be gone eventually. I agree that the enjoyment from reading a tablet can't compare to that of holding a book, feeling the paper, and the whole tactile experience. But digital printing can't compare to offset, offset can't compare to letterpress, letterpress can't compare to calligraphic illuminated manuscripts, etc. There's more intrinsically to be appreciated with an LP and its packaging than a CD, and more with a CD than a download (more with a download than a stream?). It's a lot nicer to walk into a Barnes & Noble and browse the shelves than to search online for titles or authors... but how practical in comparison?
It gets back to the whole "form follows function" concept. The utility of the tablet guarantees the ultimate demise of printed materials. Portability, cross-media accessibility, storage capacity, "greenness" and everything else are going to trump any aesthetic pleasures that we may experience by holding something in our hands, feeling the texture, smelling the ink, or whatever. The fact is that we all are going to develop new aesthetic sensibilities for each next media "thing" as it comes along. The need for efficiency and practicality necessitates it.
2 comments:
You: "I think we have to assume that paper and ink will virtually be gone eventually."
Me: Noooooooooooooo (runs down the hall waving hands and passes out on the floor).
i seriously need to get myself trained in the digital world better....this outlook is not good for me!
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