Collecting and printing out information

T

twhidd

New member
How many of you guys print out and save information shared on the forums? I usually save the gun magazines that I subscribe to, but never really considered printing internet info for future reading until someone mentioned it somewhere.
 
I did save discussion threads and they accumulated on my computer. Then a few years went by as I was cleaning and I had all these files with no time to read through them, no time to figure out what was worth remembering.

I do know that I've since learned a lot about shooting and firearms in general, and probably don't need them anymore. So I deleted them. If you're going to do it, I'd label a folder well and save it digitally. I have enough clutter as it is.

Similar thing with gun mags - I've reached a ceiling as to what I can gain regarding handgun design/function or technique from magazines. At least for magazines I used to buy like "combat handguns" and such. What I don't know are historical events and the like, so American Rifleman is good for that. But you have to have a certain amount of time and be in a certain mood for that.
 
Every time I buy a new gun I put together a loose-leaf binder of magazine and internet articles, beak-downs, how-to's, common problems, modifications, parts sources, etc. Kind of one-stop shopping if I need something for that particular firearm. In addition, the simple accumulation of info is a familiarization course all on its own.
 
Yeah, I do.
Articles on:
Fixing stuff.
How stuff works.
History of people and gun development.
Home made targets and props.
Like that.
Mostly I keep it on memory sticks rather than printing it out, though.
Not as much now as before the internet got so big and searchable.
If those satellites ever fall out of the sky we're all going to be completely lost, befuddled and wandering around in circles.
 
I have a folder, with sub folders in my computer.

Anything I find I save to the relevant folders, only printing as needed to take away from the computer. I back up to offline storage in the form of DVDs copying the actual files. Should the computer ever go T/U I still have the actual files in readable, printable form.

How much stuff is this? well if I include my shooting & reloading together which has documents pictures & diagrams its 4,095.66 Mb.:D

Well I sent a DVD copy of my information to someone & he decided to print it out, despite my warning him it was HUGE!

He calls it 16 3/4" of printout! That's thick BTW.:eek:
 
I archive some TFL threads at times. This site is better than most in respect to what I call junk. In the days of dial-up there was little junk on each web page, today a page is 4 to 100 times bigger than need be. I use HTML editors to cleanup a page.
 
I'm a big fan of reading the detailed history of guns that I buy. I don't print them, but I save many articles as .pdf.

I also buy old ads and magazine articles off of eBay.
 
About the only forum discussions that I print out are discussions about wildcat cartridges that I deal with, and, more specifically, load data or computer predictions of load data.

I compile the discussion in a smaller, more useful format that eliminates screen names, post counts, avatars, etc, but retains dates. Then I print it and file it with my other hard copies for that particular cartridge. ...With notes, if applicable (known hot; subsonic; poor burn characteristics, etc.).
 
Great ideas here. I could read these forums for hours. Archiving and collecting is a good way to sort through all the info to get to the better stuff.
 
The trouble with saving files on dvds is that many laptops don't have them anymore.
And dvds that were burned on one computer may not run on another one.
Memory sticks are much more reliable, except for getting sucked up off the desk in the vacuum cleaner.
Regular backups are always a good idea.
 
I grew up a "techie" but there's not one thing that can compare to paper in your hand.

You can still flip thru a binder before you can locate the same information on a computer.. Mostly.

I actually use computers less and less and cell phones and tablets more.

I've posted to this forum mostly from cell phone. I can print from my cell phone too.
 
Nowadays I archive controversal & theads that have gone tangent before it's deleted. At times on the surface stuff doesn't seem logical until a good deal of effort is used. User names, images, dates I archive. Script programs, links, ads I gen delete.
 
Mostly my stuff goes onto HDs (harddrives). MS (Memory Stick) means a Sony format flash drive in stick form. Good optical (DVD/CD) burners have always been pricey. Plextor and NEC have been known to be good in the past.
 
I have to be honest I've yet to have, or hear of a problem using DVDs. I've sent copies of my data DVDs to others & they haven't ever reported a problem either.

I do stick to "standard" file formats (MS Word, Excel, .JPG, & .PDF) though & I don't make the file folder or files protected in any way. "Permissions" seem to be a bigger problem for other machines reading the DVDs.
 
With all this talk of ITAR restrictions I considered trying to back-up/archive this and several other more specialized forums I find useful, but I haven't looked into it in detail. If a file was hosted, I would almost certainly download it.

As to printing it out... I have enough forms nd legal things to print without trying to have a paper back-up. I can buy used books with comprehensive discussion of most topics cheaper than I can print them of anyways.
 
The only thing I have ever printed was a chart relating years to serial numbers for the Ithaca Model 37.

Printer ink is too expensive to waste on internet discussion.

I could see myself printing out diagrams and manuals, but not really anything else.
 
The need to print is seldom needed. I can edit many HTML (webpages) into a single file and view with any device with a browser. The only issue is the editing work needed to do this, the PC is the only means to edit IMO. It is a good deal of work.
 
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