bpr.proposal

Description

bpr is an online service for making printable books from textual documents. From unformatted or HTML-formatted text, bpr creates a PDF file of page layouts ready to be printed, folded, and bound. The emphasis of this project is not to create professional-looking books, but instead to create portable samizdat-style texts to be carried and distributed.

The process goes like this:

1. You submit a text document, or a URL to an online document, of which you wish to make a book. For example, you could submit Lawrence Lessig's CC-released Free Culture >>, or one of the many public domain texts at Project Gutenberg >>. If you are stuck for ideas, the bpr website will list popular and recent texts printed by other users.

2. bpr formats the text into book form (see illustration to right). You may select from several predefined book styles, or you may tweak style settings, like fonts, page margins, etc. bpr then formats the pages with your settings and sends you a proof of sample pages. If you don't like the proof, you may adjust your format settings; otherwise, bpr completes the formatting job and sends you a PDF file, which you may then print on your own printer.

3. Once printed, you'll want to bind it, and the bpr website will offer instruction on several binding techniques. All of the binding methods will emphasize simplicity and ease, though you may opt to use your own bookbinding method.

4. Once bound, your book is done. Put the fresh text in your pocket and go.

Rationale

Why print and bind digital content? An aim of this project is to aid the proliferation of textual media. Of course, media distribution by electronic means (eg the internet) is a revolutionary step above physical distribution (eg books). Yet books offers distinct advantages. They offer a familiarity and portability which make them an easier choice for many, and they reach places the internet does not, such as across the digital divide. Books also enjoy a long tradition of "fair use" (you may lend them to a friend), and sidestep many current efforts to regulate electronic media.

This project is similar in purpose to the Internet Archive Bookmobile >>. See that page for greater discussion on the importance of keeping knowledge free, as well as on the current legal threats to the public domain (Eldred v. Ashcroft).