A lot of creators are printing their stuff. I'm not talking about commissions, t-shirts, pins, etc. They sell books of their comics that can be seen by everybody on the site. To buyers, this gets me wondering, why do you buy prints if it's all the same content you can see online for free? I'm just curious.
Sep '17
Sep '17
I like having it to hold and flip through!
The weight of an actual book in my hand is very satisfying.
^This. If I had the space and money to allow it nearly all of my purchased comics would be physical. There's just something about holding a book that feels right.
Also, I've never been interested in other types of merchandise, so if I'm supporting someone directly it'll likely be through their hard copies.
Answers some readers have given me:
There are people who just prefer reading physical books -- the feeling of turning a page is different from the feeling of clicking the "next" button.
At conventions this comes up in a slightly different way -- buying a book is gonna be more convenient than saving a business card and remembering to look up the URL when you get home in order to read it for free. Some folks go "oh, it's online, cool I'll read it there!" -- others go "Wellllllllllll...nope this sounds neat, I gotta go ahead and buy it now."
Some have said they like having books to re-read the comic at any time without needing internet access!
Some people genuinely just want to support the artist.
Physical books are also nice to gift or loan to friends -- I've had folks buy books with the express purpose of showing the comic to a friend that wasn't into webcomics, but would probably read a comic book. I've also had a couple parents buy books for kids that read the comic, or friends buy the books for their friends who were big fans.
For me, I don't tend to buy unless there's extras -- even if those extras are just "a little exclusive 3-page comic and a nicely drawn map" -- but for comics I really really love (like cucumber quest) it's a cool way to show tangible support to an artist that feels significant, and it feels like a kind of fan-cred to have all the books on your shelf. At conventions, I've bought books for comics that I loved but had a hard time following and felt that I needed the book in front of me to read it all at once, and I've also bought physical books from artists that I admired and wanted to walk up to the table and show my support for!
I'm a sucker for gimmicky tangible items. I love comics that have extra content and dress nice. By which I mean spot glosses, nice end papers, maps of places. I seldom buy paperbacks, but more collectible things.
I enjoy comics whether it's physical or not. Buying a physical copy helps the creators and it's like having a piece of them in your home. I've bought the same Calvin & Hobbes book multiple times in my life just because I enjoy having it In my home.
Holding the physical form just feels so right to me and for some reason I find it more appealing to look at printed somehow, like the line work looks so crisp and nice! Plus it helps creators too and...
I also like the smell of new book pages... 
Basically what everyone else said! As much as I love webcomics I still prefer the feeling of physical books (sorry trees), and if I really really like a comic I of course want to support the creator. Plus I just like having a bookshelf full of pretty books, it just gives me a good feeling and makes me feel like my life and living space are more full of art, which is always a good thing.
Some comics just look a million times better when they're printed, especially black and white ones imo. Also it's nice to have a hard copy because then you can read it whenever and wherever you want, whereas with online/digital copies you have to rely on a device to view it, the battery of said device, wifi, and electricity. I can't exactly read comics that are online in the middle of a power outage. Also there's something very pleasant about owning a physical copy of your favourite story that you can just look at whenever you feel like and display it on your shelf...
I like buying physical comics because I get way too distracted when reading online. If I have a book in my hands, it's a lot easier to commit to reading the whole thing through, and not get distracted by opening other tabs, checking my email, reading messages, etc. My brain is always in 10 different places at once when I'm at the computer. -A-; As much as I enjoy having access to so many webcomics for free, I infinitely prefer buying printed versions!
I have not bought webcomics in print but I have definitely bought manga in print (manga that can be faster and more conveniently read online since fan translators are usually quicker on it than the actual translators are. Hell, in the case of a lot of manga it's never even professionally translated so reading scanlations online is the only option)
It's mainly because I want to support the industry and the original artist, but also because observing the art is different when it's printed. Not better or worse, just a different kind of enjoyable experience.
As someone who lives in a tiny apartment and likes to keep things minimalist, I can't wait till augmented reality gets good enough to give us ebooks we can actually flip through. Imagine a virtual screen you can pick up or set down. It'll float in place, but you can also hold it in your hands while you curl up in a big chair.
i just really like the feeling of being able to buy the comic book! 
It's kind of like a collection to me
Nothing beats the feeling of turning an actual page. The sound of paper sliding over paper is so relaxing to me. It's the same reason I buy physical books instead of Ebooks.
It's also easy to share with a friend. They don't have to have the app. Just hand over the book.
When I first got into comics, there was no internet to read them on. I would go to the grocery store or the gas station and pick one up with what money I saved up, at least until I found an actual comic book shop in the city, then I'd go there. By the time I got on the internet, which was my last couple years of High School, I was losing interest in the stories in a lot of the comics I had read. I found webcomics then, that was late 90's, and got caught up in the stories of a number of them. Whenever I'd see one on sale physically and I could afford it, I'd buy it, and same holds true now that I'm back into comics. Even though they're available digitally on places like Comixology and Marvel Unlimited, I'd rather have the physical book if I can. Part of it's nostalgia, there's nothing like sitting down and flipping through the pages of a book.
Because I want to support the creator? Like... ??????? Yeah I could read it for free but take my money anyway and online comics are annoying to me anyway, I find it better to have a physical copy I can flip through and find a particular scene for reference or whatever rather than go from page to page to page online and have 1908239874873 tabs open
