The main difference between the hard copy and the soft copy is that a hard copy is a physical document which can be written or printed as long as you can hold it in your hand and read it without any gadget whereas the soft copy is an electronic copy of the documents but they can not be held in hands but can be read with the help of an electronic gadget such as a mobile or computer.
Difference between Hard copy and Soft copy
| HARD COPY | SOFT COPY |
| The hard copy is more expensive to compile and produce | The Soft copy is less expensive to compile and produce |
| The Hard copy is a tangible object. It has mass and volume and you can touch and feel them. | The soft copies are intangible objects. You can only see them but they are not present physically as a hard copy does. |
| The Hard copy requires some physical space | The soft copy does not require any physical space |
| They can be stored in a physical place such as a library | They can be stored in a computer such as servers |
| The hard copy does not require any special software to access | Soft copy requires specific software to access them eg. Ebook on amazon and kindle. |
| Hard copies can be used without any requirement of electricity. | Electricity or power supply is necessary to use a soft copy. |
| A hard copy is a printed document | Soft copy is a digital document |
| It is costly and time-consuming to create duplicate copies for a hard copy. | The soft copy duplicate are easy to create as it requires copy-paste function which can be done within seconds |
| Parceling a hard copy to another country will require shipping that will cost time and money | Parceling a soft copy to another country can be done with help of emails within few seconds |
| The letters on the hard copy are written with ink and paper | The letters on the soft copy are typed with a keyboard |
| A hard copy can’t be amended after it has been published. | A soft copy can be amended even if it is published. |
| A hard copy can be a victim of wear and tear and therefore cannot be preserved for long | A soft copy can be preserved for as long as the technology exists that contains them. |
| The photocopy is a way to share a hard copy | The soft copy can be shared with the help of memory devices or the internet. |
| Manipulating text on hard copy is difficult | Manipulating text on the soft copy is easy |
| A hard copy may use a great deal of space | The soft copy can store a library of books in a simple Pendrive which you can carry easily in your pocket |
| The quality of the hard copy depends upon the paper and pen and typography. | The quality of the soft copy will depend on the formatting used on the computer. |
| The hard copy does not require any interface like computer or mobile etc to read and display | Soft copy requires these interface to display and read |
| A hard copy is a temporary copy | A soft copy is a permanent copy |
| Monitor and keyboard are soft copy producing device | Printer and plotters are the hard copy producing devices |
The hard copy uses natural resources to be created such as paper from trees. | The soft copy is more environmentally friendly and does not require a paper |
| You can scan a hard copy to convert into a soft copy | You can print the soft copy to convert into a hard copy |
| The example of hard copy includes books, magazines, posters, newspapers, etc. | The example of softcopy includes ebooks, ads, website text, letters, etc. |
Aayush Kumar Gupta is the founder and creator of ExploringBits, a website dedicated to providing useful content for people passionate about Engineering and Technology. Aayush has completed his Bachelor of Technology (Computer Science & Engineering) from 2018-2022. From July 2022, Aayush has been working as a full-time Devops Engineer.