Digital editions of Model Engineer and Model Engineers’ Workshop.

[GorakParticipant @gorak]

I bought a subscription to your digital issues of MEW last week based on my experiences with the digital editions currently available with my MEW subscription.  I found the reader to be quite usable and easy to use.  Because of a vision impairment, I find it difficult to read from a screen for long periods of time and I liked the old reader because It allowed me to print multiple pages when I found and article that I wanted to read offline.

 

Today I find that you’ve changed your reader to eMag Creator which I find to be a bit more difficult to use but, more importantly, only allows the printing of one page at time.  Is there a particular reason for changing readers?  Are you actually trying to discourage subscribers from being able to print articles for offline reading?  I’m sorry to say that I find this to be a disappointing change that has diminished the usability of my digital subscription.

 

[David Clark 13Participant @davidclark13]

Hi There

The new reader is much faster than the old one.

I will ask about printing.

regards David

 

[GorakParticipant @gorak]

Hi David,

 

Yes, I’ll give you that – the new reader is certainly faster.  Another minor annoyance I’ve noticed is that, if you have enlarged the page so that it exceeds the screen size, whenever you move your cursor the page image moves with your cursor which is usually not what you want while reading.

 

Thanks for looking into the printing issue.  It would be great if one could print a range of pages like the old reader. 

 

There is always a bit of teething pain when you introduce new technology.  I appreciate that you have the best interests of your subscribers at heart.

 

Thanks,

Steve

 

[john swift 1Participant @johnswift1]

Hi David ,

 

prompted by steves last post  , I have just had a look at the new flash reader

 

is it faster because you are saving on bandwidth ??

printed pages have less resolution and are now shades of grey and white

compared with the old reader and slower printing one at a time

 

which ever reader is used in the end , it would be helpful to any one with vision  problems

 if single pages can be displayed full screen like you can with adobe’s pdf reader 

 

when used with  a wide sreen rotated by 90 degrees ( like  zerox did years ago )

you can read the whole page without scrolling up and down

just as i can with other magazines and books i have bought in pdf format

 

i hope my comments help

                                                best regards

                                                                         john

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GorakParticipant @gorak]

On a totally different note, and at the risk of sounding over-critical, issue 34 gives an error when you try to load it.

 

Thanks,

Steve

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

I hate to admit this but I haven’t figured out how to make the new reader print even one page

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Yes Steve, but it shows it FASTER.

 

  Regards  Ian.

 

 Do the paid for Digital archives print in grey shades or is it just the mag subscription freebies?????

Edited By Circlip on 18/05/2010 12:07:26

[john swift 1Participant @johnswift1]

I have just printed a page from MEW115 and MEW146 to confirm my previous test

the printpout from the old reader was better than the new emag creator we have now

I could adjust my printer setting to make the print darker but then it will be wrong for

every thing else

for now i’ll save the paper and toner while we and wait for the next upgrade

 

                                      thanks

                                                   john

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

 

 

Posted by john swift 1 on 18/05/2010 17:03:29:

for now i’ll save the paper and toner while we and wait for the next upgrade

 

My guess is that the restricted printer capability is deliberate so I wouldn’t hold your breath.

[GorakParticipant @gorak]

Posted by john swift 1 on 18/05/2010 17:03:29:

I have just printed a page from MEW115 and MEW146 to confirm my previous test

the printpout from the old reader was better than the new emag creator we have now

I suspected as much.  As I was browsing some issues yesterday the text seemed harder to read (blurrier).  It appears to be a lower resolution than the old reader (which may account for the speed) but I initially attributed that to the fact that I’m reading much older issues now and I assumed that they were simply scanned at a lower res for some reason. 

 

I’d like to believe that they are not intentionally degrading the resolution or ability to print efficiently as that would surely be a disservice to the people who have already paid for subscriptions to view back issues.  I’m hoping this is just a case of working out the bugs of a new software installation.

 

Steve

 

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

How actually are you guys printing this? I can see no control that allows printing when I view any of the issues.

 

I’m using Firefox. I can’t view at all in IE … it keeps telling me I need to upgrade my Flash Player to V8 or higher. I actually have V10 with IE and to make sure, I re-installed it direct from Adobe.

[Gray62Participant @gray62]

I currently subscribe to the MEW Archive.

As many have commented, the new flash based reader is definitely faster than the previous magazine viewer however, we no no longer have the ability to print articles. Although this change has improved the readibility of online materiel, I doubt if many have computer access in the workshop, and the ability to print out an article for reference in the workshop will be much missed, If this is to be the way forward, I for one will not renew my subscription to the archive, nor will I take up a subscription to the Model Engineer archive, something which I was considering In many ways this is a step backwards, not forwards, I .would prefer a slow reader with the ability to print rather than a flashy reader that does not provide thsi facility.

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

If the page stayed still long enough to read it then it would be useful.

It’s just too cluttered with arrows, turning pages and zoom in zoom out to be taken seriously.

 

I had hells own to get it to display as I hate Flash and any Adobe products as they take over a machine and it won’t work on older cut down versions of flash.

 

Anyone notice the setting in Flash that asks ” how much information from Myhobbiestore do you want to keep on your machines ” ?

 

I signed up for the old reader, not this new version.

 

John S.

[john swift 1Participant @johnswift1]

has any body  looked at the flash player nuts and volts magazine use ???

 

you have the choice of reading one or two pages and selecting to display fullscreen

as well !

 

print current page  or  page x to page y   or    cover to cover

 

and the choice of downloading a pdf copy we don’t have   – just a dream for now ????

 

I must say , I would not use any flash player by choice . 

even with a fast broadband link  , they are all slow compared to a local  copy on your own machine.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gone AwayParticipant @goneaway]

Posted by john swift 1 on 19/05/2010 01:05:26:

and the choice of downloading a pdf copy we don’t have   – just a dream for now ????

 Just a dream, period. Unfortunately the portable document format is a bit too portable for copyrighted material that the owner wants to protect.

[Alberto GilbertiParticipant @albertogilberti52584]

Hi.

I reached MEW Digital last week and I had the chance to use the old reader system. Not good but not so bad. The page resolution was decent but not so high anyway.

When today I entered my account and tried to read an issue with the new reader I was very disappointed that I could not print a set of pages anymore and the whole resolution was lower than the one I had before, with the old reader I mean!!

I don’t think it is corret to change the rules of the game when playing or at least give the chance to the subscribers to go one way with the old and slow reader or the new way with the fast one. For a time period they both should be present.

This is my 2 cents.

 

Alberto

[NeilCParticipant @neilc]

Hi,

I am a recent subcriber to MEW and based on my experience with the more recent digital versions (using the old reader) I was just about to subscribe to the digital archive. However yesterday while trying to find something in the more recent digital copies I had the misfortune to experience  the ‘new’ reader and was somewhat put off. To the extent that I will not be suscribing to the digital archive untill either the new reader is greatly improved or we return to the old reader. The poor quality and blurred text hurts my eyes after even a short time reading, the page continues to float around the screen. But worst of all I can’t print out decent copies of an article to refer to in the workshop, I have a desktop PC in the house and no other means of viewing digital media in the workshop or any where else!

Neil

[pmm1Participant @pmm1]

Hello

I was just about to subscribe to the archive and went back to check the usability before doing so. I cannot see any way of printing, although the help file says it can be done, and I do not have internet access in my workshop so there is little point in subscribing whilst the new viewer is being used.

Paul

[pmm1Participant @pmm1]

Hello

I was just about to subscribe to the archive and went back to check the usability before doing so. I cannot see any way of printing, although the help file says it can be done, and I do not have internet access in my workshop so there is little point in subscribing whilst the new viewer is being used.

Paul

Edited By Paul Murray 1 on 19/05/2010 20:48:20

[Ray LyonsParticipant @raylyons29267]

Hi,

I have been buying MEW from day one and now have two tidy piles of magazines in my cupboard. However, after sampling the free on line versions, I subscribed to the full list.

It is great for looking back on articles of interest but I find that the printout is not so good.

I have downloaded to PDF, free articles from Model Engineer archives and these are good. Is it something to do with the scanning method to put the MEW on flexipage?.

 

 

Ray 

[NeilCParticipant @neilc]

Hi,

Have I missed something?

Until recently issues 122 (feb 2006) through to current issue could be viewed as a digital copy, but now only 146 through to current issue. The digital archive, which I am unwilling to subscribe to with the ‘new’ reader covers 1990-2006. So what about the void? Have you increased the range of the digital archive or or are digital copies of 123 through to 145 lost forever?

Neil

[John Stevenson 1Participant @johnstevenson1]

Neil,

The range has been increased for the paid subscription and reduced for the subscribed user.

 

Paid subscription is now 1 to 145.

 

John S.

[NeilCParticipant @neilc]

John,

Thanks for the info, though with the new viewer I am still not happy about subscrbing to the ‘archive’. Without the ability to print out more than one page I cannot see the point. Why should I pay to view an article In some distracting viewer then try to remember what the detail said when I’m in the workshop?

Neil

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Well DC1, I NEARLY bought a subscription for the MEW archives, but have now been steered away. Still think DVDs are the way to go.

 

  Regards Ian.

[Chris BanningerParticipant @chrisbanninger89672]

Not all of us have fast internet at home, let alone in the workshop. That is why the ability of printing a range of pages is a crucial feature. But this feature is not enabled in the new reader, it lets me only print one page at a time at a snail pace. That is not what I subscribed for. I vote for the old reader being put back. Either that, or the full printing feature being enabled on the new reader. Chris 

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