The Problem with the "Print This Page" Feature and How to Fix It

The Problem with the "Print This Page" Feature and How to Fix It

The experience of reading on a browser is distinct from that of reading on paper.

When it comes to writing for the web, the process is quite different from writing for print. Visitors are thought to be "juicier" than readers, according to one theory. When it comes to structuring online material to its maximum potential, subheads, shorter phrases, and paragraphs are essential components.

The visitor's attention must be piqued before clicking on the following link. There are numerous competing bits of information on the same page in a newspaper-like arrangement.

A clean, white sheet of paper is used to print online material. In this industry, there is almost no competition. Printing the same text that looked great on the computer may result in a dull final product. When written on a sheet of paper, the brief text, tailored to communicate a message by commencing each line with the correct keyword, could seem lost.

A piece of knowledge taken out of context is worse than none at all

Unlike a book, web pages are not arranged sequentially. It is the primary goal of a website to provide visitors with connections to other online resources that they may find valuable. It is common practice for websites to break up content into smaller pieces or to generate a plethora of entrance points into the site. In terms of internet reading, that's a logical conclusion. Advertising benefits from this as well, as more pages imply more adverts being provided and greater information about what the user wants to know.

Internet rumors have it that over eighty percent of visitors never make it to the homepage, preferring to get straight to the meat of the website. A printout is worthless or at the very least out of context if the accessible page contains just a small portion of the important information. When the company's strategy that led to the quarterly results is unknown, it is impossible to fully comprehend the figures.

As time passes, the context of jumbled material left on "to be read" piles might be lost even more.

Allow the items to slip through your fingers

Content must be updated since, unlike printed material, visitors want websites to be kept current. The content of a website is typically controlled by the site's owner.

In a constantly evolving world, a printed page is a picture of what was once there. Because of this, the publisher no longer has any control over the content, and it is also no longer correct.

Branding is out the door, and so is the image

There are several ways in which information may be disseminated. Soft-content is just as vital as factual material, but it's not always easy to tell the two apart. Vital components, such as screen design, key messaging, or unique functions, cannot be adequately depicted in print.

"The picture" is conveyed via the combination of several channels. Often, this is an element of a company's overall marketing strategy, and it doesn't come cheap. It's a simple "print this page" button that reduces the elaborate corporate communications to a "default-font" page, where the logo is displayed within a dark square box, the browser adds a cryptic web address headline, and the styled product description is reduced to a two-liner with no hyphenation. It's an easy "print this page" button to use.

It prevents the user from surfing the web

The only purpose of web page design is to maintain the attention and interest of the site's visitors. If the visitor has been used to a certain flow, printing a page might be a harmful interruption of that flow. Selecting a printer prompts a dialog box. Taking one's focus off of the well prepared information architecture is necessary. A common occurrence is for individuals to impatiently await the printer's next page, sometimes reaching out to grab it even before it has printed all the way through. Afterwards, they examine it and wonder, "Where was I?" You may not return to browsing after this interruption.

What's the point of printing a single page?

A "print this page" feature is used by visitors for many different purposes.

• Inform someone else about this.
• Keep the data for future use.
• Offline reading is a good option if you want to have a better grasp of

This is a list of legitimate needs. However, printing out a single web page may not be the ideal answer in this case.

There's another way to solve this problem

The initial step is to send the link, maybe with some pre-written wording. The second criteria may be met by utilizing well-formatted bookmarks with descriptive URLs and smartly hinting at this functionality on the page itself. These two options keep the data confined inside the site's structure and under its command and control.

In order to print information, it must first be prepared and contextualized. As an example, a product page should have a description, as well as thorough information about the firm and a link to where the product may be purchased in person.

For a print version, you'll need a file format that's designed to be printed rather than one that's meant to be seen online. For the time being, PDF may be the best option for incorporating corporate branding features or displaying content in a visually pleasing manner. When it comes to online usability, PDF isn't the only game in town. Rather, we are referring to the utility of printed materials. Also, if the user wishes to print, the site will get this as a directive. This is the return ticket for tourists, so let's make use of it.

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