Specifically the Brother HL-L2350DW. I bought it to print coloring pages and puzzles for my kids, and it was great for that. Cheap and quick.
But then I started printing out technical papers, reading them, marking them up, putting them down, and referring to them later. I retained more of the material, drew more cross-inferences with other papers, but more than that, I enjoyed the reading experience more.
I’m not sure why. Perhaps physical paper is easier to read, or by occupying a physical space, my memory associates concepts more strongly than from a screen.
All I know is that when I find a paper I want to read, I get a little buzz sending it to the printer. When I pick it up I feel the warmth of the paper and notice the smell of the ink. I bind it with my kids stapler. Somehow I feel more connected to the material, have more empathy for the authors. Then I sit down with a pencil and a coffee, and start reading with a smile.
Tags: technical-papers