Digital textbooks may not be cheaper, report finds

"The cost is totally dependent on which book they're talking about, the cost of printer cartridges and other things," Lyman said. In any case, his company has heard from students who say they only want to print out short sections, for note summaries or other purposes. "A student who wants to print out a whole book should buy a whole book."

The report also dinged commercial publishers for setting expiration dates on digital book subscriptions. "Calculus," 6th edition, from the publisher Cengage, is priced at $207.95 for a new hard copy; the e-text version is $103.99. Access expires after 180 days, although students typically study the book over two semesters, the report said.

"Once a student buys a textbook, it should be theirs to keep and access wherever and whenever they want," the study said. "Anything less than complete access would make digital books impractical for large numbers of students with limited access to computers and/or the Internet."

Lyman said most subscription periods match how long students need a text, and discrepancies are subject to review. "Chemistry: The Central Science," 10th edition, from Prentice Hall goes for $90.67 for a 540-day subscription.

"It's not a bad deal," Lyman said in an e-mail message.

The report called on college systems and faculty to support open digital textbooks, which are given away online without restrictions on use.

Lyman said he doubted that free online textbooks are a practical solution.

"I know the work that goes into creating a textbook, from the authorship to the infographics," Lyman said. "Let's let the students decide what they want."

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gale.holland@latimes.com