Often when I’m browsing around the internet, I come across information that I’d like to print and save. However, I know that by clicking “Print” I’ll end up printing a bunch of extra stuff from the page that I just don’t need… all the advertisements, headers, logos, background graphics and other ink-heavy stuff! Even if I’m just trying to save a digital copy, web pages rarely seem to convert well into PDF.
So unfortunately I usually don’t bother… and the valuable resource I wanted to print out and keep just gets forgotten as I move onto something else.
But now there’s a new free service for website owners that makes it really easy for your visitors to print content from your site.
Printfriendly.com freshens and formats web pages so that they can be easily printed. Users can select which parts of the website they want to print, and which parts they can get rid of.
The huge benefit for you as a website owner is that there is a much greater chance of visitors printing your content to refer to for many months or years to come.
Just add the free “print friendly” button to your pages and your visitors will be able to quickly and easily print the content they want, which makes YOU the valuable resource they’ll always refer to!
Of course, it’s environmentally and financially important to keep printing to a minimum… but there are times when you really WANT your visitors to print and retain content from your website. Printfriendly.com is free to use and shows your visitors you’re thinking of them as well as the environment!
P.S. I have no connection with this service – it’s just a great tool for webmasters!
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Article by James T Noble
James makes small businesses bigger. He's previously worked with some of the world's largest brands and companies to market their products and services online - including Disney, Microsoft, 20th Century Fox, Virgin, Coca Cola, MTV and many others. Read more about James...
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks. Great content.I guarantee that button is going on my website. Totally great idea.
There are so many times when I need to print a page for someone else (usually an older person I know) and while I can copy (keeping credit & url)/paste/delete non-essential stuff it usually takes alot of time and effort. Thanks for the hookup!
In todays world of digital notes and all that, why in the world would you waste the paper to print a blog post? That to me is just going backwards from where we need to go. I never have to print anything…just bookmark it and come back later….
I don’t print blog posts, but other content (e.g. for swipe files or clients) can be useful.
I don’t recommend clients add the button to every blog post – but do add it to key pages/resources that are printed often, or they would LIKE to be printed often.
I generally use Evernote, but when I DO want to print something it’s annoying to have to print all the ink/toner-heavy stuff I don’t need.
A PrintFriendly-formatted page can also be “printed” to a PDF – again, without all the stuff you don’t need.