Did you know that Wikipedia allows you to save compiled articles into a book format? This is pretty slick… you can search Wikipedia, find articles that you like, save them, and then utilize PediaPress to print your articles. The website lets you combine articles, from Wikipedia, and view a preview of the book or download a PDF version of the book free of charge. This is pretty sweet, especially if you like having something tangible in your hands… think about it. It’s like building your own custom encyclopedia. I tried this with a single article. I searched for “tiger woods” (go figure) and then went through the PediaPress process.
The process was pretty much streamlined. I selected the article, and before I knew it was staring at a payment screen. For example, a book that features the Tiger Woods article costs $8.90.
Getting to PediaPress
This is pretty easy. First, go to http://www.wikipedia.com. Then, search for your article(s) of choice. From there, look to the left. You will see a print/export button. Click that, and you will see the following options:
- Create a book
- Download as PDF
- Printable version
Click on “Create a book” to begin the process. You will quickly be promoted with the following message:
“Click OK to continue with your book (“test”) which contains 1 wiki pages. Click Cancel to delete it and start with an empty book.”
Click okay and you will land on the “Manage your book” page. Here you can set the title, the subtitle, and can even order the chapters of your book. On the right hand side you will see “Order as a printed book” or “Download”. If you choose to order as a printed book, you will click “Preview with PediaPress” and will be taken to their ordering processes. If you choose to download as a PDF you can choose several file types, including:
- OpenDocument Text
- openZIM
How much does this cost me?
If you download the PDF, it’s free. You heard me… free! If you buy a book, it will depend on the number of pages, the number of images, etc. The more pages you have, the more expensive the book becomes.
I don’t know, this just seems cool. I immediately think of things that I can collect… like the 50 states or all the countries I have visited. Or maybe musicians that I like or famous athletes. (Like Tiger Woods, for example.) I Just had no idea this was even an option, now it makes me want to go out there and start collecting articles.
What articles will you be saving, printing, and reading?
