As such, it may not be sensible to expect most websites to be the source of good printed output. A typical web page carries far more elements than are required for printed output, but that doesn't assign fault to the design of the web page itself. Simply put, interactive media is not a good source for print.
On screen we need active navigation elements to get us around. In print, we do not: we need visual hierarchy and navigation of a very different type. We've yet to see a successful drop-down menu in print, but here's hoping.
Does this mean that we should simply accept the internet as a poor source for print? Accept that all printed output from websites will be relatively poor and accept a position of 'well, this is how it is'?
Absolutely not. Instead, site owners should be looking at how high-quality printed output can be integrated into websites. No brand owner wants their customers taking away, and more importantly, keeping a shoddy printed record of their brand. No customer wants to take away printed pages that are unprofessionally formatted and hard to read.
There are two primary choices for good printed output: well-formatted, HTML pages; and attached PDF files. There are other technical solutions, but these are the only two really universally-accepted options.
A common approach, particularly for websites with dynamically-generated content, is to offer a 'printable' version of each page of content. Click on a 'print-ready version of this page' (or similar) link to pop open a new page with all the navigation stripped out, a text length restricted to a readable width, and the stylesheet set to an optimum setting for print. Black text on a white background, etc You get the idea.
This works well on the whole and gives acceptable output (though rarely is it anything to get excited about). Online publishers have typically adopted this approach because it is: a) cheap, as they are almost always database-driven sites needing only a new template or two; and b) commercially appealing as they can sneak a few adverts onto the printed page too.
Overall, this method is not perfect, but can be made to work very well.
A more modern HTML approach is to use a different stylesheet for printing purposes which gets dynamically loaded before the page prints. This is the best route, but is only possible in sites that have been developed to the most modern standards. It will not work with older browsers, but they are rapidly being left behind anyway.
Using PDF is a more challenging process, but can lead to the best quality output. PDF files can be produced to professional print standards and allow a full choice of typefaces and graphic elements (i.e. the logo will look like it should) to be used. They can also comfortably contain more text than the website, providing the opportunity to elaborate on a topic.
The downside is a production overhead. There are ways to automate PDF production, and this is a good half-way house between text-only HTML pages and manually produced PDF files, particularly for someone with a high volume of content. But the best results come from manually created documents that have been crafted to the same level as a 'real' printed document, and they take a little time and effort.
We feel that where possible, PDF is the favoured option. It's the approach we take for all our Viewpoint articles because we want the printed documents people take away to be as good as they can be when printed (to encourage people to read them, and maybe even pass them on). The same, surely, should apply to any brand owner.
PDF is far from perfect, and needs to be produced carefully to ensure that the files are download-friendly. Many people have used them as a cop-out to replace putting content on-screen. Many more create huge documents, with complex colour layouts, solid black page backgrounds and the like that make the print-out even worse than the website. But then a PDF file does not guarantee good design: you, as a brand owner have to do that (or at least demand it).
Every website today should have thought given to its printed output. As our printing habits continue to evolve (imagine when cheap, fast colour printers are everywhere), it is increasingly important that the lasting impression that so often lies in the printed page is taken seriously. The message is simple: make sure you make the effort, and save some budget, to make your site printable.
The pay-off will be a lasting impression your brand can be proud of.
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