Based on the analysis of on line newspapers, this article shows the consequences of technical choices in the appearance of the final product, from the publisher's point of view. It criticizes the proposition that it may be possible, without a re-writing effort, to produce an electronic newspaper from a stock of « textual bricks ». Broadly, this study questions the idea of plasticity, often linked to the concept of « digital document », and insists on the crucial importance of the context in the reception of documents.