Publishers and copyright holders control how much a book can be copied, downloaded and printed, under UK copyright law it is generally accepted that you may print out or copy up to 5% or one chapter of a work. Some eBooks will only display page by page and so you will not be able to download or save several pages in one go and some do not allow printing and copying at all.

Some publishers and eBook providers add further restrictions which subject eBooks to DRM (Digital Rights Management) controls. DRM technology allows publishers to control usage by restricting the number of concurrent users, limiting the number of pages that can be copied, printed or downloaded, these controls will vary between providers.

N.B. Publishers and eBook providers monitor printing and copying closely, if you exceed limits you may be prevented from accessing that book for a certain period of time & sometimes the publisher or eBook provider may withdraw access completely if evidence of copyright abuse is detected.

If you are registered with the University SWIS team as having accessibility needs you can request an accessible copy of a book. This can include printable copies of books. If you need an accessible copy, please fill out the form here: Request Accessible Copy Form