Is Kazaa distribution part of the answer? (was: Python and p2p)

[Geoff Gerrietts]

Quoting Chris Keyes (chrisk at nipltd.com):
> Well I costed printing the MySQL manual and it was quite a bit cheaper 
> for my to buy the OREILY version. (University charge 4p a page for laser 
> printing on their industrial printers, this is 'cost price' aparrently.

I did the same thing, assuming I would print my copy of Python:
Essential Reference (1ed), this morning. Reformatting from that
private mail to Cameron:

paper, $5 for 500 pages               = $ 0.01  / page
toner, $70 for 5k pages               = $ 0.014 / page
printer, $330 for 30k pages           = $ 0.011 / page

If I print the 352 (including blanks & ads) pages of the book at 2
pages per sheet of paper (most books can easily be done two-up with no
loss in readability), I come out to $6.16. If I don't mind tacking the
pages together with a binder clip ($.50 or so), I've got a functional
book. Nowhere near as nice as the printed version, but compare the $7
version to the $34.95 I paid for the trade paperback: that's 20%
savings.

I believe all my cost estimates to be high; that's 1k fewer pages per
toner cartridge than the cartridge is rated, way more than I pay at
Costco for laser paper, and 30k pages is pretty low for the printer's
lifespan. I don't try to estimate doing double-sided printing on a
printer that isn't designed for that, but mine may well be; I haven't
checked the manual to see whether they think it's okay.

Your mileage may vary. I'm sure if I went to have it bound and printed
more cleanly, it would cost considerably more. And while I have a few
printouts from the net laying around (PostgreSQL manuals, Ocaml book,
Thinking in Python, etcetera), I've purchased far and away more; it's
worth the extra $28 to have a single neatly bound volume. I only wish
more publishers would use acid-free paper, so the books would last.

--G.

-- 
Geoff Gerrietts             "People talk fundamentals and superlatives 
<geoff at gerrietts net>     and then make some changes of detail." 
http://www.gerrietts.net                  --Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr