Hour15.Creating Print-Friendly Web Pages

Hour 15. Creating Print-Friendly Web Pages

If you've ever used an online mapping tool such as MapQuest or Google Maps, you've no doubt experienced the need to print a web page. It's true, web pages aren't designed entirely for viewing on the screen. You may not realize this, but it's possible to specifically design and offer print-friendly versions of your pages for visitors who want to print a copy for offline reading. In fact, CSS makes it very straightforward to create web pages that can change appearance based on how they are viewed. This lesson shows you how to create such pages.

Try It Yourself

As you work your way through this lesson, consider any of your own web pages that might look good in print. Then think about what you would want to change about them to make them look even better on the printed page. Here are some ideas to consider:

1.	Do you have pages that use a background image or an unusual background color with contrasting text? This kind of page can be difficult to print because of the background, so you might consider a print version of the page with no background and black text.
2.	Do your pages include lots of links? If so, you might consider changing the appearance of links for printing so that they don't stand out. Remember, you can't click a piece of paper!
3.	Finally, is every image on your pages absolutely essential? Colorful images cost valuable ink to print on most printers, so you might consider leaving some, if not all, images out of print-friendly pages.