3 ms·

Easier to send them through a duplex scanner (or put them in a flatbed one if they are fragile). Cheaper than buying the automated ones with the page turning r

Easier to send them through a duplex scanner (or put them in a flatbed one if they are fragile). Cheaper than buying the automated ones with the page turning robot arm. I have done it at home for my books since the mid-00s.

open-paren 2mo ago
Do you purchase every book two times, or do you have a home devoid of physical books that you enjoy? Genuinely curious
- flir 2mo ago
  Not OP, but: If it's something I want to work from, I get a printer to slice the spine off and rebind it with a ring binding. That way it lays flat on the desk. You've trashed the book (and its lifespan) but some books are for using, not keeping.
- JKCalhoun 2mo ago
  Not OP, but I do similar. I only de-spine a book if it is in poor condition (and I have a nice copy). Some of the material I scan is stapled instead of glued and I can remove the staples, scan and replace with new (not rusted!) staples to return the book to its original form. I have books but would have 5x as many if I could not capture them digitally. (When I go to move or go through a purge, some of the books I scanned do go to a used book store.) So I scan in part to keep my physical book-footprint smaller, but also my scans all get cleaned up and uploaded to archive.org. Mainly I scan young-adult science books from the 50's and 60's (since they were so influential and have all but disappeared except on eBay and the like).
  - tourmalinetaco 2mo ago
    Thank you for your service, genuinely.
- phasefactor 2mo ago
  Sometimes? But for scanning I can use a cheap worn copy as long as the pages are clean. Most books I would rather have a digital copy. I had four or five book cases full of stuff and it makes moving difficult. I originally started scanning 20 years ago when it was more difficult to find PDFs of basically whatever you want. Now it is only random old books I find at the used shop or online for cheap and somehow cannot get from archive.org or elsewhere.

open-paren 2mo ago

Do you purchase every book two times, or do you have a home devoid of physical books that you enjoy? Genuinely curious

flir 2mo ago
Not OP, but: If it's something I want to work from, I get a printer to slice the spine off and rebind it with a ring binding. That way it lays flat on the desk. You've trashed the book (and its lifespan) but some books are for using, not keeping.
JKCalhoun 2mo ago
Not OP, but I do similar. I only de-spine a book if it is in poor condition (and I have a nice copy). Some of the material I scan is stapled instead of glued and I can remove the staples, scan and replace with new (not rusted!) staples to return the book to its original form. I have books but would have 5x as many if I could not capture them digitally. (When I go to move or go through a purge, some of the books I scanned do go to a used book store.) So I scan in part to keep my physical book-footprint smaller, but also my scans all get cleaned up and uploaded to archive.org. Mainly I scan young-adult science books from the 50's and 60's (since they were so influential and have all but disappeared except on eBay and the like).
- tourmalinetaco 2mo ago
  Thank you for your service, genuinely.
phasefactor 2mo ago
Sometimes? But for scanning I can use a cheap worn copy as long as the pages are clean. Most books I would rather have a digital copy. I had four or five book cases full of stuff and it makes moving difficult. I originally started scanning 20 years ago when it was more difficult to find PDFs of basically whatever you want. Now it is only random old books I find at the used shop or online for cheap and somehow cannot get from archive.org or elsewhere.