Printing Wikipedia

Overview

• Question Addressed: How many printers are needed to keep a live paper version of Wikipedia updated?
• Answer: Six printers.
• Context: Focus on the English Wikipedia.

Printing Projects and Estimates

• Rob Matthews (2012): Printed every featured article; created a book a couple of feet thick.
• Michael Mberg (2015): Printed 1% of Wikipedia articles for an art installation.
• Tom PW: Calculated current size of English Wikipedia without images in printed volumes.
• Current Size Estimation: About 300 cubic meters for a full printout.

Edit Statistics

• Edits Per Day: 150,000 (100 per minute).
• Reprints Needed: Estimate of one page per edit.

Printer Capabilities

• Typical Inkjet Printer: 15 pages per minute.
• Printers Needed: About six to match 100 edits per minute.

Costs Involved

• Electricity: A few dollars per day.
• Paper: 1 cent per sheet, translating to around $1,000 per day.
• Ink Cartridges: Between 5-10 cents per page.
• Ink Costs: About $10,000 per day.
• Printer Types: Recommend laser printers to reduce ink costs.
• Labor: Cost for managing printers 24/7.

Comparisons and Challenges

• 300 Cubic Meters of Paper: Out of current monthly edits.
• Volunteer Editors: A potential cost-saving on labor.
• Protest Consideration: High cost of using ink to blackout pages during protests (e.g., Wikipedia's 2012 blackout).

Conclusion

• High Costs: Over $10,000 per day making the project prohibitive.
• Recommendation: Stick to digital due to massive expenses and logistics involved.