Best places for quick printing and copying?

I'm just a college student. So yeah, I end up photocopying textbooks pretty often. It’s basically illegal, kind of like burning CDs back in the day.

The difference is I can burn a CD at home, which is basically impossible for anyone to police, but I don't exactly have a heavy-duty copier sitting in my dorm room.

Is copying actually against the law, though? Or am I just overthinking this?

Copying an entire book is a straight-up copyright violation, which means you're breaking federal law... honestly, I’d rather deal with things being a bit messy than have to shell out cash for every single title we want to read, so maybe just keep it down before someone notices us 🙂 Legally speaking, you're only supposed to rip off small excerpts or bits and pieces, but where exactly they draw the line on that is anyone's guess, really...

Richard Lewis16 said:Copying an entire book is straight-up copyright infringement. It breaks the law. Honestly, I’d rather deal with this mess than be forced to shell out cash for every single book we want. Just keep it down so they don't catch on. 🙂 Legally, you're only supposed to copy small snippets, but who actually knows where the line is drawn these days?

The all-caps thing is basically screaming, and frankly, my hearing and eyesight are doing just fine.
if you know what I mean.

wiredfalcon2 said:So I guess copying isn't actually illegal then?

Look, if you're actually a college student, you should know how to read.😁 You can check the first few pages of any book and see the whole copyright notice and all that crap.😉

Edward Green said:look, if you're actually in college, you should be able to read 😁 and spot that copyright notice on those first few pages, blah blah blah. 😉

was more of a rhetorical question, honestly. 🙂

What, is your conscience actually eating you alive, or are you just trying too hard to act like a rebel? 😁

Edward Green said:what, you got a guilty conscience, or are you just trying to act edgy? 😁

nah, honestly, I don't even buy into the whole intellectual property thing. I just know the government does, which makes me wonder... actually, whatever. Just stating facts here—they can't fix this mess either. 😁

Copying shouldn't be an issue unless there's money on the line and someone is actively profiting from it.
That’s how those local print shops make their living, and frankly, they should be the ones facing the consequences, not the customer.
In fact, I remember back when Zo-Ma was forced to shut down, it was due to that exact same reason.

I know about the whole caps lock thing, but sometimes my keyboard at work just goes haywire and won't let me turn it off...
sorry if that’s bothering you, I really didn't mean to be a nuisance, and honestly, I feel like this is just going to spiral into a massive debate about copyright laws anyway
maybe a suggestion here: if we're footing the bill for all the photocopies, then the copy shops should probably be chipping in a bit toward those copyright fees too...

Richard Lewis16 said:Someone should suggest they pay a portion toward royalties if we're already footing the bill for the photocopying.

And then you'd just be paying ten cents per copy anyway. 😬

It doesn't really matter anyway, I just end up copying the code from my old gig at work for next to nothing...🙂

wiredfalcon2 said:Nah, I don't actually believe in intellectual property. I just know the government does, so I'm wondering... honestly, I'm just pointing out they can't fix this either.😁

So what does it mean when you say you don't believe in intellectual property? Does that mean you think it's fine to just take, steal, and use stuff that belongs to someone else—stuff people actually make a living from? And why limit that logic just to IP? Why wouldn't you feel just as free to grab someone else's clothes, shoes, a steak, a laptop, or just sneak into a Yankees game without paying?

Terry Myers2 said:So you don't believe in intellectual property? What, you think it's fine to just grab whatever you want, steal stuff, use things people actually make a living from? And why stop at IP? Why wouldn't you just walk into a store and take clothes, shoes, a laptop, or even sneak into a Lakers game for free?

Shoes aren't intellectual property.
The IP is the blueprint used to manufacture those shoes.
I just don't buy the idea that someone can own a concept, or like, some guitar chords.
That doesn't mean I'm out here planning to swipe my neighbor's kid.
It means if I pull a stock from Ramirez's portfolio, they shouldn't be able to sue me for it.
Period.

Delvecchio said:I don't buy the idea that anyone can actually own an idea.

😲
We've got all kinds of people here...

Delvecchio said:footwear itself isn't intellectual property.
intellectual property refers to the blueprints used to manufacture that specific item of clothing...
I don't believe anyone can actually own an idea, or even something like the sound of a guitar...
that's not to say I think people should be stealing my Cedes...
no, what I mean is, if I take a share from Ramirez, they shouldn't be able to sue me for it...
there you go.

I have to disagree with you there, because why didn't you think of that, write about it, or put it into practice yourself? There really needs to be such a thing as intellectual property, because at the end of the day, that’s all a person truly possesses. Money and fame, those are both fleeting things—I mean, who was even sponsoring Tesla?—but ideas, they endure. Still, maybe a better system would be some kind of voluntary contribution model, where you just give what you can to help fuel further progress... because if you refuse to buy a Ramirez CD, how are they supposed to make a living? They'll just tell me, "Look, we can't survive on this, so we aren't going to play anymore, we'd rather just go find some other job." And that doesn't seem like a better solution to me, since we'd all end up deprived of so many beautiful and useful things...

So, let's protect INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.

Delvecchio said:Footwear isn't intellectual property.
Intellectual property refers to the blueprints used to manufacture a specific garment.
I don't believe anyone can claim ownership over an idea, or even something like the sound of a guitar.
That's not to say I think people should just steal my Cedes.
No, what I mean is, if I were to short a stock held by Ramirez, they shouldn't be able to sue me for it.
There you have it.

Wonderful. So, if you ever actually design anything, draft development plans, or commission analyses, don't be surprised when we swoop in and snatch them up a day or two before they reach the client.

Thanks for the heads-up.

It’s all fine, I suppose. Intellectual property... I consider it just as valuable, actually, far more precious than mere physical assets. But the framework needs restructuring. Perhaps we should allow students to make copies of textbooks. Look, a college textbook might cost $167 (there are cheaper ones, certainly, but also much pricier options). Required reading. The real issue remains... how many American students can actually afford to purchase every single original text?

Amanda Hernandez2 said:Everything sounds great on paper. Personally, I think intellectual property is actually worth more than physical assets—way more. But we need to fix how it's handled. Maybe students should be allowed to photocopy textbooks. We should aim for college books to cost about $167 (there are cheap ones and pricey ones). If it's required reading, the real issue is: how many American students can actually afford to buy every single original textbook?

Right, yeah, brilliant idea: just give away a top-tier textbook that represents a lifetime of hard work, research, studying, and expertise for free! What a genius move. I guess we should probably just give students free housing and food too, and maybe some clothes while we're at it. Don't forget transportation. Oh, and movie tickets, aerobics classes, gym memberships... because heaven forbid we end up with sickly, weak professionals, right?!

College is high-level education and professional training; it’s definitely not some social welfare program. The solution for pursuing an education under the capitalist system we fought for should be self-funding combined with scholarships from the government and relevant institutions or organizations.

Amanda Hernandez2 said:It’s all fine in theory. I personally believe intellectual property is actually more valuable than any physical asset, though the current framework needs a complete overhaul. Perhaps we should allow students to photocopy textbooks. If a college book costs $167, that's one thing—some are cheap, others are extortionate. But if it's required reading, how many American students can actually afford to buy every single original text?

Everyone. There is a university library in every college town where you can just sit down and read. When books are priced at a couple hundred dollars, if you can't swing it, you pick up extra shifts at a campus job over the weekend. Or, better yet, stay at the top of your class and secure a scholarship.

Try writing a textbook yourself sometime, then you'll understand what it feels like to go years without seeing a dime of the compensation you earned. Writing a single monograph essentially equates to two years of total self-sacrifice—grinding every single day, skipping vacations, and throwing away your weekends, because let's be honest, almost nobody can make a living solely from writing.

I see some people are still trying to equate hitting the gym with hitting the books. Good for you, I guess. But why on earth do you assume only the privileged are allowed to get an education? As for scholarships; a friend of mine snagged one, yet she still had to rely on cheap photocopies for her textbooks. And regarding employment; isn't one of the core issues in this country the fact that even those with college degrees aren't immune to unemployment? Perhaps one of you could just hire every single student so they can actually afford their supplies. Or maybe the wealthy are just terrified of losing their spots...