# What's the best way to read/study scientific pdfs or textbooks? (Paper, tablet, hybrid, laptop, desktop)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-read-study-scientific-pdfs-or-textbooks-paper-tablet-hybrid-laptop-desktop/1004721>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 24, 2024, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-read-study-scientific-pdfs-or-textbooks-paper-tablet-hybrid-laptop-desktop/1004721 "2024-07-24T02:02:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-read-study-scientific-pdfs-or-textbooks-paper-tablet-hybrid-laptop-desktop/1004721/21 "2024-07-27T22:20:37Z")

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> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> We’re all not getting younger, and zoomable larg(er) print is a real boon. As long as your screen is big enough to accommodate it.

This is the main reason I read nearly everything on my computer or e-reader. The Times print shrinks every year and so does the print on my physical books.

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**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-read-study-scientific-pdfs-or-textbooks-paper-tablet-hybrid-laptop-desktop/1004721/22 "2024-07-27T23:26:25Z")

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> [@Hari\_Seldon](#):
>
> This is the main reason I read nearly everything on my computer or e-reader. The Times print shrinks every year and so does the print on my physical books.

Books meant for e-readers work fine, since you can expand the text. PDFs read on them are terrible. When I produce a draft of a book I’m working on for an e-reader, which lets me read it anywhere, I use like 22 point font before saving it to pdf. Then it looks fine.

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-read-study-scientific-pdfs-or-textbooks-paper-tablet-hybrid-laptop-desktop/1004721/23 "2024-07-27T23:59:51Z")

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You can magnify the pdf file using ctl = (which I think of as ctl +) repeatedly. Demagnify with ctl -. With my 14" wide laptop screen and use 3/4" margins and 12 pt type, I can get essentially 24 pt type. Even more if you use horizontal scrolling (which is a nuisance).

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**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2024, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-read-study-scientific-pdfs-or-textbooks-paper-tablet-hybrid-laptop-desktop/1004721/24 "2024-07-28T07:16:26Z")

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Yeah, but the think becomes unreadable without moving things around. On a decent sized monitor or even a tablet, no problem.  
This was not a minor problem - I had about 70 books to go through in pdf. The first year I judged this contest it was a nightmare, so I bought a tablet for the next year.

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