Reading linear texts on paper versus computer screen (2013) [pdf] | Hacker News Reader

Reading linear texts on paper versus computer screen (2013) [pdf]

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40 pointsazizsaya15 comments

Did this compare pdfs formatted for 8.5x11? Ironically, I cannot effectively read this on my phone because the formatting requires constant horizontal scrolling, though I find the same issue with reading documents like this (that don't wrap/reflow) on a regular computer screen.

I guess I'm wondering does this study compare the medium (paper vs screen) or whether it's easier to read when formatting matches the medium (a document formatted for paper read on paper vs screen)?

Even if it compares the format, formatting for the printed page (Letter and A4 being ubiquitous) is a solved problem, and formatting for digital devices is still a work in progress.

I read a lot of academic papers and have yet to find a digital reader that beats a printer.

Have you ever tried any of Sony's digital paper devices?

https://www.sony.com/electronics/digital-paper-notepads/dpt-...

Or Onyx Boox Max 2.

I have not! Reviews I read were mixed, availability seems spotty, and the cost has been a deterrent. I'm not ready to spend two years of paper/toner budget on not-quite-ready technology. I do intend to look at the next generation "big e-ink" tablets, whenever they hit the street.

There's another I read about on Boing Boing called Remarkable Paper Tablet and it looks pretty good.

I didn't read the whole thing, but scrolling was definitely one of the problems they identified. Text on paper is fixed in position and that seems to help comprehension compared to text that scrolls electronically.

It seems like if they had compared equivalently sized e-ink screen and paper, many of the differences would have gone away.

When I read on a computer, my ideal width seems to be around 1/3 of a 1080p monitor. I usually have my browser window sized at about 2/3 of the screen width.

On phone, most sites that have even a remotely responsive design are easy enough to read.

I've also read at least a dozen Epub format books on my phone in the past few months, and frankly the convenience has got me back into reading in a way I haven't in years. My reader renders text as orange(ish)-on-black, and the big thing is I can read in bed at night without disturbing my partner (whereas even a small book light was disruptive). I've read mostly fiction but nothing like scientific papers, so I'm not sure how that translates, but definitely I find it's a good reading experience. It's also easy on the eyes on a way black-on-white PDFs cannot be.

The key though with all of this is that the text is formatted appropriately for the medium. White backgrounds on backlight screens are just as hard to read as if you had white text on black paper. I don't doubt it's hard to isolate the effects of format and medium, but they're tied in a way that you can't ignore one and study the other, imho.

Direct link to proper PDF from sci-hub: https://sci-hub.tw/10.1016/j.ijer.2012.12.002

My personal experience is very much aligned with the findings of this paper. I lose A LOT of IQ points when I'm reading on screen. It's the general medium difference, but also ability to concentrate, the context where I'll be reading, and general attitude.

As others have mentioned eInk partially mitigates some of these differences, but not all. Paper has still a big role to play if we want effective learning.

Related book I found very interesting https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shallows_(book). I always felt this way but after reading this book I doubled down on reading on paper.

I was always printing out texts larger than a few pages. I felt like it's easier. Now I know it's not my personal trait.

Also worth reading (though in Japanese) - Effect of Reading a Book on a Tablet Computer on Cerebral Blood Flow in the Prefrontal Cortex (2018) - https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjh/73/1/73_39/_pdf/-ch...

Showed increased brain activity (increase in regional cerebral blood flow) was observed following reading a novel on a tablet computer compared with that after reading a printed book.

Specifically for pixels-disturbing-sleep problem there is this very useful app: https://justgetflux.com/

But can we conclude from this that pixels disturb brain in general? Maybe the increased brain blood flow is good during waking hours?

what about on an eInk display.

What was the effect size?

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