Websites Should Be Printable(brennenputh.me)
348 points by bagatelle 1 day ago | 203 comments
tl;dr: The author argues that websites consisting mainly of text should be styled for print, since some readers prefer marking up physical documents. They share a short CSS snippet using `@media print` to hide/show elements, resize fonts, convert links to black, and style codeblocks, noting that making a page print-friendly took only a morning's work. They acknowledge few people print webpages, but frame it as a small kindness worth the effort.
HN Discussion:
  • ↑Print styling extends beyond text; HTML/CSS can produce quality printed outputs like posters and labels
  • ↑Printable websites are valuable for marking up, e-ink reading, and annotation workflows
  • ↑Browsers and websites have degraded print fidelity, making this effort more necessary
  • ~Developers shouldn't override user defaults like font size when styling for print
  • ↓Websites were never meant to be printable; use proper tools like LaTeX instead