I agree with some of what you said, but not with all.  I think the disconnect is the TYPE of search.  Thinking of only a 1 owner search, with only a very few exceptions, ALL counties can have their copies printed from the computer system with a click of the button.  I personally never write up the order as I do the order unless I am able to access a system from home where I have dual monitors and can have the index/copies on one screen and my typeable write-up form on the other.

Clients can get very few copies themselves in most of Michigan.  While there are ways to obtain copies on-line (depending on county) even if you're not a regular user, it is usually a process to get it done and requires a credit card, putting in a LOT of information every time, and the like, while the abstractor will already have an account set up and/or an escrow account from which to pull.  Again, NO EXTRA TIME INVOLVED.

While it is true that some 1 owner/2 owner searches would require the pulling and copying of books, those are rare and I do not resent doing it.  AND if I do have to pull and copy, it means the "1 owner" has become a 40 year and I have asked for -- and received approval of -- a fee upgrade accordingly.  Most 40 year searches require a lot more work -- but are also being charged a lot more.  My time in copying is built into that fee.

As for "doc retrievals" that aren't really, with those clients I make it clear that if there is real work involved -- pulling old books and having to be at the courthouse to do it -- the fee goes up.  Sometimes dramatically.  

My final point is industry standard.  I have never had an abstractor complain about pulling documents for which they are being reimbursed and are part of an order.  The complaints are there when they're told NOT to take copies because it takes too long to sit there and write everything out!  I even have a couple of abstractors who will take copies -- at least 1st pages of mtgs -- simply to save time.  They know I can't reimburse them, but they'd rather pay for the copy than waste time writing something out.  I can't tell you how many times I've had to scold someone for making copies when they shouldn't have.  That is MUCH more common than the reverse!