Create Printer-Friendly Web Pages

Reading from a computer screen is uncomfortable, so users may often
want to print the page they're viewing. The problem is that web
pages don't usually lend themselves to print.

Unless your web page width is 600 pixels or less, chances are that
your page copy will not fit in the printed page, and important
information will be cropped-out.

However, as we've pointed out before, limiting your web pages to a
width of 600 pixels translates into sub-optimal use of your visitor's
screen real estate, since the majority of web users nowadays employ
screen resolutions of 800x600 or higher.

A better option is to specify your page width in percentage terms,
for example: 100%. This way your web page will adapt to whatever
width your printer is set up to, and your copy will not be cropped-
out.

But this solution has two drawbacks:

1. Your page layout may be modified in ways you never intended, as a
consequence of lines of text having to wrap up to accommodate your
printer's width and margin parameters.

2. Your printed page will still show all those unwanted navigation
menus and banner ads.

All of which takes us to our preferred solution: if your web page
presents important content that your visitors will most likely want
to print, create a link to a printer-friendly version of your page.

A printer-friendly page should follow these simple guidelines:

* The page width should be specified in percentage terms (100% or
less), so that it will automatically adjust to your printer's page
width and margin parameters.

* It should have a small version of your logo (or the name of your
website in plain text) at the top left, hyperlinked to your homepage,
so that your visitors have an easy way to go back to your website
after printing the article.

* With the exception of your logo, the page should contain only text,
which should be left justified, to facilitate reading.

* If the page features an article, it should include the author's
resource box and the URL of the original version of the article.

* Your original page should contain a link pointing to your printer-
friendly page at a visible location. The standard practice is to
include a text link next to a simple icon of a printer.

Although creating printer-friendly versions of your pages will lead
to the duplication of some of your content, your visitors' user
experience will be significantly enhanced.

Furthermore, you don't have to worry about taking up significant web
server space and bandwidth, since your printer-friendly pages will be
text-only.

Finally, you don't need to create printer-friendly versions of all
your web pages, only of those which your visitors will most likely
want to print, for example: articles, how-to tips, confirmation
pages, instructions pages, and product specification sheets.

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Mario Sanchez publishes The Internet Digest (
http://www.theinternetdigest.net ), an online collection of web
design and Internet marketing articles and resources. You can freely
reprint his weekly articles in your website, ezine, newsletter or
ebook.

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