atw: Re: Dopey comparisons of monitors and paper

Matthew da Silva:
On Wed, 14 May 2008 13:20:35 +1000,  you wrote:
> Using Hedley's summary plus some online research:
>
> The usual display capacity of a computer monitor is 72dpi, but a typical =3D=
 LCD monitor
> has a dot pitch of 90 px/in (for example, the HP 1740 =3D monitor has a=
 0.264mm dot
> pitch, which is slightly sharper than this). =3D On Windows, ClearType=
 exploits subpixel
> technology to improve =3D resolution, raising dot pitch to 270 px/in. - not=
 far off 300
> dpi.
>
> However, it is still easier to read text printed on paper than displayed =3D=
 on a monitor.
>
> Why?
>

A myriad of possibilities might be cited -- if in fact there is clear=
 evidence that the above generalisation is true. 

Is it true ?  I'm wary of so-called "ease of reading" assessments, given=
 that many I've seen cited appear to be full of subjective assessments.   If=
 you go instead for effectiveness of communication, at least you can apply=
 comprehension tests. I don't see a lot of reliable tests of "ease" that I'd=
 care to trust. 
  
Besides, getting readers to comprehend is the ultimate aim, I would suggest,=
 compared with making them feel "at ease".
Of course, one is probably directly related to the other, in that if you're=
 ill at ease in reading, you're probably not going to be gaining=
 comprehension as quickly and effectively as might otherwise be the case.=
 But for my money, sticking with a test of the ultimate objective is a deal=
 more useful and relevant. 

However, let's assume it's true that paper is "easier".  That may simply be=
 because there are centuries of experience involved in the evolution of=
 printed presentations, with a good deal of standardisation of layout and=
 type selection conventions tested by practical experience.  

You can't say the same about the web. Initially, a web page was more or less=
 regarded as a thing for an "HTML programmer" or "webmaster" to deal with --=
 then it became something that artists could contribute to (and=
 over-decorate madly).   More recently, there's a sneaking suspicion that=
 people who know how to compose the words and lay them out legibly might=
 have some sort of role to play in all this.  (Dangerous ground here).    

In fact, it seems to come as a surprise to some that there are actually=
 common eye patterns followed  by readers of web pages, which suggest=
 different forms of layout are more effective than others.  Jakob Neilsen's=
 patterns of eye movements stuff doesn't really appear to me to be vastly=
 different from what print people have known about for years. =
 Significantly, the principle of layout in print is known as the Gutenberg=
 principle -- referring to a publisher of the Bible from the fifteenth=
 century.  (It's been around a while.)   That roughly states that the reader=
 (of European-style languages, at least) looks first to the top left, then=
 scans right, then scans down more or less diagonally towards the right=
 bottom corner, leaving the top right and bottom left as most-commonly=
 ignored sections of a page. .... etc.    (Which is why certain positions=
 for ads in newspapers are often cheaper than others).

Consider that millions of pages of newspapers and books have been composed=
 with this thought in mind for some centuries now, and that until recently,=
 virtually all of use were formally trained in reading first from printed=
 materials, and there's maybe no great surprise that paper is "easier": =
 apart from all the above stuff about layout and standards, it's likely to=
 be more familiar to many or most!

Well that's for starters.....

--Peter M   
 
       

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