Do you prefer printed manuals or digital manuals for software?

[ozymango]

Acrobat makes PDF creation easy (remember to use press-ready mode), and a PDF is a piece of virtual paper.

Exactly -- and this is why I don't prefer PDF files for computer help ("manuals"), simply because I very rarely print out my computer help stuff. I view it on the screen, so I like "manuals" that are optimized for screens, and -- absolutely no offense against those who like PDF files and like them on their monitors -- I hate viewing a PDF on a monitor. That's all.

Yes, I know that there are those who don't have this problem, and for them, "manuals" work just fine (or even best) in PDF format. I'm just glad this site doesn't put all its guides in PDF form!

[usually_quiet]

If I have to choose between the two formats, I choose a digital manual, but if I had my druthers I’d opt to have both paper and digital copies.

I like to be able to look at both the program and manual at the same time, which is difficult with the monitor I have, so that’s where the pre-printed documentation helps.

However, I find digital manuals to be a more useful means of actually locating the information I need (via the search function) because indexes in manuals are so often poorly compiled. I just hate having to print out the pertinent sections from digital manuals. It seems so darned inconvenient and wasteful.

[AlecWest]

Five years ago, I would have answered "printed manuals." But I've noticed over the years that manuals, just like the hardware they discuss, have gotten incredibly small (the print, that is). Heck, I can't even read the key number on my XP COA sticker without a magnifying glass (grin). Five years ago, I was diagnosed with macular pucker. My near vision is terrible unless the print is big. Strangely, my distance vision has improved considerably. But, while distance vision enhancement has made me a far better driver than I used to be, it doesn't help me read manuals, hehe. I'll take a good EXPANDABLE PDF file's font over a printed manual any day ... unless they start making "large print" versions of manuals. 8)

[Nitemare]

One annoyance concerning manuals (printed or otherwise) that I've noticed more and more lately is that the manual doesn't always reflect the product I'm actually using.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio 6.0-- the manual is constantly referring to features that the "real" Sony Vegas has that my edition doesn't. It is also the manual for version 5 while I'm running ver. 6.

Is it really so costly that I can't have an up to date, version specific manual? This problem isn't exclusive to this software, it's only my most recent example. Has anyone else noticed this?

[ozymango]

One annoyance concerning manuals (printed or otherwise) that I've noticed more and more lately is that the manual doesn't always reflect the product I'm actually using.

Ah, the dreaded "Uni-Manual," where half the features listed only apply to the model above yours.

Thus you get the camera, camcorder, or amplifier manual with a cover like:

Piomere Stereo Manual
VT-850
VT-950
VT-1050
VC-350
VC-303
VCC-310
WXYZ-PDQ

and the surround buttons on your remote only work on the VC-303.