Web page printing tips

• Tip 1: Preview a web page before printing
• Tip 2: Removing or customizing headers and footers when printing web pages
• Tip 3: How to print a web page with margins that are too wide and result in clipped content
• Tip 4: How to print a single frame (page) on a web site that uses frames
• Tip 5: Conserve color ink and print in grayscale
• Tip 6: Print selected content on a page and leave the other stuff behind
• Tip 7: Look for "Printer" friendly icons or links

Tip 1: Preview a web page before printing
Printing some web pages may result in using up far more ink or paper than you thought. To preview the page in order to determine how much paper will be needed to print a web page or whether or not the text and background will be readable when printed, preview the page before printing.

1. In your web browser, click the File menu and select Print Preview.

   

2. If you are happy with how the page is going to print, you can click the Close button at the top of the Print Preview window to return to the web page and then select Print from the File menu -OR- print directly from the Print Preview windows by clicking the Print button.

Tip 2: Removing or customizing headers and footers when printing web pages
It can be useful to have information about the print job, such as number of pages, and the URL when printing a web page, but you may not need or want any more printed than the content of the web page.

To remove or customize the headers and footers when printing in Internet Explorer:

1. In your web browser, click the File menu and select Page Setup... to open the page setup dialog box.
2. The Headers and Footers section contains what appears to be gibberish but these characters determine the headers and/or footers that will be printed when you print a web page. The screenshot shown below contains the default header and footer for Internet Explorer 6.
   1. To remove headers or footers, remove the characters from the Header and Footer fields and click OK.
   2. To customize the header and footer, type in the characters for the items you want to be printed (see Table 1 below for the characters and their meanings).

   

   Type	To get...
   &w	Window title
   &u	Page address (URL)
   &d	Date in short format (as specified by Regional Settings in Control Panel)
   &D	Date in long format (as specified by Regional Settings in Control Panel)
   &t	Time in the format specified by Regional Settings in Control Panel
   &T	Time in 24-hour format
   &p	Current page number
   &P	Total number of pages
   &&	A single ampersand (&)
   &b	The text immediately following these characters as centered.
   &b&b	The text immediately following the first "&b" as centered, and the text following the second "&b" as right-justified.
   Add text	You can customize the header or footer by adding text, such as Printed by John Doe on __ (type code for date)

Tip 3: How to print a web page with margins that are too wide and result in clipped content
Some web pages are designed such that they are too wide for your printer margins. If you're lucky, you can reduce the size of your browser window (resize) and the text margins will scroll with the window. However, this does not always work so you can fit the content on the paper by setting the orientation to "Landscape" and, if desired, you can change the page margins to fit more content onto the paper.

1. Set your printer to print in the Landscape mode (sideways) for the web page that is giving you problems: Go to the File menu and select Print. Click the Properties button on the Print dialog window. Change the orientation from "Portrait" (default) to "Landscape" mode. Note: You can also change the page margins in your printer properties.

   Note: If you do not know where to find the setting on the Print dialog window to change the mode, see your printer help file or documentation or search the web for instructions.

2. In your web browser, select Page Setup on the File menu. Click the radio button next to "Landscape" in the Orientation section of the dialog box. Click OK to begin printing. Note: You can also change the page margins on the Page Setup dialog box.

   Changing the orientation using either of the above methods will not change the default printer setting for this feature, which is generally set to "Profile". To change the printer features 'permanently', you must use the Printer Control Panel. Go to Start > Settings > Printers, right-click your printer icon and select Properties. If you do not know how to get to the Printer Control Panel and the printer properties, use your operating system (Windows or Macintosh) built-in help, see your printer help file or documentation, or search the web for instructions.

Tip 4: How to print a single frame (page) on a web site that uses frames
Some web pages are made up of two or more frames. If you use the Print button on the toolbar, only the active frame will be printed. To print the web page at it appears on the screen or to print only one frame use the Print dialog window to select what you want to print:

1. To print the web page including all the frames, in your web browser, click the File menu and select Print. In the Print Frames section, select the radio button next to As laid out on screen and click OK.

2. To print one frame, left click once on the frame you wish to print to select it. in the Print Frames section, select Only the selected frame and click OK.

   

   Alternate method: Right click on the frame you want to print, choose Open Frame In New Window, then just print it out from the new window that opens as you would a non-frame web page.

Note: In Windows Internet Explorer version 5 or above, framed Web pages are printed with each frame coming out on a separate page by default.

Tip 5: Conserve color ink and print in grayscale
Web page printing can be hard on a color ink cartridge. If having a color copy on paper is not needed, print the web page in black and white. Please note that printing in grayscale is a feature of your PRINTER not the web browser. To print a web page in grayscale:

1. In your web browser, click the File menu and select Print.
2. Click the Properties button.
3. Check the tabs and see if you can locate an option for "grayscale" or "black and white" printing. Note: The color setting varies from printer to printer. If you cannot locate this setting, check your printer help file or documentation or search online for instructions.

   Changing the color features using either of the above methods will not change the default printer setting for this feature, which is generally set to "Color" when color printing is available. To change the printer features 'permanently', you must use the Printer Control Panel. Go to Start > Settings > Printers, right-click your printer icon and select Properties. If you do not know how to get to the Printer Control Panel and the printer properties, use your operating system (Windows or Macintosh) built-in help, see your printer help file or documentation, or search the web for instructions.

Tip 6: Print selected content on a page and leave the other stuff behind
If the content you want to print is a fraction of the web page, you can select content - text and/or graphics - and print what you want and omit the rest.

1. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the cursor over the text and/or image(s) that you want to print. Let go of the mouse button. The selected text or image is highlighted on the screen.
2. In your web browser, click the File menu and select Print.
3. On the Print dialog box, select Selection.

   

4. Click OK to start printing.

Alternate method - Copy/Paste to Microsoft Word: Copy and paste the content you want to print from a web page to Microsoft Word or similar word processing software. Note that images can generally be copied and pasted from the web page to the document. Revise as needed and print your new document as you normally would using your word processing software.

Tip 7: Look for "Printer" friendly icons or links
The Stargate Help Site provides you with a way of printing pages without the menus so you can print the 'meat and potatoes' content easily. This is accomplished by clicking the Print Page icon or text at the top of the page.

Other sites have a similar link or tool that allows you to print the content, stripping away 'unnecessary' items such as graphics, menus, etc.. Look for "Printer Friendly" icons and links on web sites.