Any college student is well acquainted with the evils of printing web pages. Many web sites don’t offer printable versions of their content, or when they do, the printable page still has ads, full color pictures, or other ink wasters. Or, they’re so poorly formatted that they take up more sheets of paper than they should.
Worst of all, printable versions of web content are usually automatically created with no thought given to how the content will actually print. I can’t tell you how many pieces of blank paper I’ve inadvertently turned into scrap over the years when a printable version of a web site printed just a web page’s footer text on an entire sheet of paper, or just a footer advertisement.
Some content, of course, doesn’t offer a printable page option at all. In that case, people usually have to copy and paste content into a blank Word document and print from there — a clumsy process that often leads to wasted time spent formatting copied text so it is readable after printing.
Enter PrintWhatYouLike.com, a Google App Engine-hosted service that lets users strip out only the textual or graphical content that they want to print from any web page, do some light formatting, and ultimately save ink and paper as a result.
Users enter pages they want to print on the PrintWhatYouLike.com home page (or via a bookmarklet) and the site loads up the page along with a tool bar in a frame on the side. Users then select and remove text they don’t want (or isolate text they do want), remove images or background images, and can even change fonts, font sizes, or change the column width of the content. The idea is that users can print only portions of articles that they like and format any page for printing, regardless of if a printer ready option is offered. The site executes very well on that concept and worked well with every page we tested.
PrintWhatYouLike.com is a very simple, but extremely useful service. We’d love to see them build upon it, and add some additional features, such as the ability to save bits and pieces from multiple different web pages to a clipboard for printing on a single page. Or the ability to save information (title, URL, author) about any page you print to a user account area for reference purposes. We wager that would be a service some people would pay for.
According to a blog post, the site’s creator is already planning a couple of cool additional features, including the ability to save print settings so that if you print a lot of articles from a specific web site, you can just apply saved rules to each new article (that feature was live but was turned off after its initial implementation hogged too many resources and caused the site to go over quota at Google App Engine; it is currently being reworked). And an “odometer” that measures how much paper you’ve saved using the service.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about PrintWhatYouLike.com
How does PrintWhatYouLike.com work?
PrintWhatYouLike.com is a free online tool that allows you to modify and print any webpage to suit your needs. You can remove ads, change the font size, modify the layout, and even combine multiple web pages into one. All you need to do is enter the URL of the webpage you want to edit, and the tool will load the page in an editable format. You can then use the toolbar to make your desired changes before printing or saving the page.
Is PrintWhatYouLike.com free to use?
Yes, PrintWhatYouLike.com is completely free to use. There are no hidden charges or subscription fees. It’s a great tool for anyone looking to save ink and paper when printing web pages.
Can I save my edited pages for later use?
Absolutely! PrintWhatYouLike.com allows you to save your edited pages in various formats including HTML, PDF, or Word document. This means you can come back to your edited pages at any time, or even share them with others.
Can I use PrintWhatYouLike.com on any website?
PrintWhatYouLike.com works on most websites. However, some websites may have restrictions that prevent the tool from loading the page correctly. If you encounter any issues, try disabling any ad blockers or other browser extensions that might interfere with the tool.
Is PrintWhatYouLike.com safe to use?
Yes, PrintWhatYouLike.com is safe to use. The tool does not store any personal information or track your browsing history. All edits are done on your local machine and are not saved on the PrintWhatYouLike.com servers.
Can I combine multiple web pages into one with PrintWhatYouLike.com?
Yes, one of the unique features of PrintWhatYouLike.com is the ability to combine multiple web pages into one. This can be particularly useful when you want to print or save related content from different web pages.
Can I change the layout of a webpage with PrintWhatYouLike.com?
Yes, PrintWhatYouLike.com allows you to change the layout of a webpage to suit your needs. You can remove unwanted elements, resize images, change the font size, and more.
What formats can I save my edited pages in?
PrintWhatYouLike.com allows you to save your edited pages in HTML, PDF, or Word document format. This gives you the flexibility to use your edited pages in a variety of ways.
Do I need to download any software to use PrintWhatYouLike.com?
No, PrintWhatYouLike.com is a web-based tool, so there’s no need to download any software. All you need is a web browser and an internet connection.
Can I use PrintWhatYouLike.com on my mobile device?
While PrintWhatYouLike.com is primarily designed for use on desktop computers, it can also be used on mobile devices. However, due to the smaller screen size, the tool may be less effective on mobile devices.
Josh CatoneBefore joining Jilt, Josh Catone was the Executive Director of Editorial Projects at Mashable, the Lead Writer at ReadWriteWeb, Lead Blogger at SitePoint, and the Community Evangelist at DandyID. On the side, Josh enjoys managing his blog The Fluffington Post.
