Choose the format that suits your needs and convenience and preference.
Here are some thoughts that might help with your decision.
- When you buy a digital product from WTM Press, we keep your files in your account, so you can download them as needed. That comes in handy when a hard drive fails or you get a new computer. Even so, we recommend that you download them and keep a copy on a local storage device.
- Choose between paper or digital format based on the cost of printing at home vs purchasing printed materials and the cost of shipping. Some titles do not need to have all the pages printed, and the delivery method (online or in person) makes the choice more obvious.
- Digital formats are less expensive to purchase and incur no shipping costs. This is especially helpful for international customers.
- The cost of paper, printing, and shipping has increased since 2021. Digital materials can save at least the shipping and printing costs. These increased costs will be reflected in paper-based materials as we reprint.
- With digital formats, you get immediate delivery. Sometimes you need the materials right now.
- When you download a PDF, you get the most recent edition. So, for example, if we have corrected typos or page-misdirects, when you download the file from your account, you will have the corrected version. (We note updates on our Corrections page.)
- CD players are disappearing from cars and homes; most people use mobile devices to play MP3 audiobooks from an audiobook app. If you download directly to an iPhone or iPad, check out this FAQ.
- Some families prefer digital materials because it is easier to store them, especially for families who have limited storage space or who move frequently.
- Parents who are comfortable with laptops, tablets or even phones can teach from the device.
- Special considerations for Student Workbooks. For the most part, student material needs to be in paper format: the student writes in the workbook, or colors the picture, or cuts out the craft. However, there are some differences.
- Most student material must be paper-based - the student writes on it, colors the picture, cuts out the craft. Here are some points to consider for different titles.
- Students using The Story of the World Student Pages will likely need only a portion of the pages (age and subject depending). These can be printed as needed from the PDF of the Activity Book or the PDF of the Student Pages.
- If students using Writing With Ease write on their own paper (composition book, penmanship paper), most of the PDF need not be printed.
- Math with Confidence student workbooks will need to be printed. For US customers, even with shipping costs, the paperback student workbooks are a good choice. Math With Confidence Student Workbook and Math Facts That Stick PDFs are optimized for printing (use less ink, let you choose color or black-and-white).
- Writing With Skill and Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind are big books, and most of the pages will need to be printed. Paperbacks are a good choice for the student workbooks, even with the cost of shipping, at least for US customers.
To compare the cost of buying printed books with printing the PDF files yourself, do the math and compare the results:
- Physical materials cost = price of the book + shipping.
- Printing of PDF cost = price of the PDF + (cost of printing per page x number of pages to be printed) + cost of binding (if any).
Copy centers charge different rates per page, so check with a couple of vendors to compare their rates.