Websites Should Be Printable

The piece argues that websites, especially text-heavy ones, should be designed to print well rather than leaving readers to rely on browsers’ default print settings. The author prefers paper for focused reading and annotation, but found that printing his own site produced oversized text, an unattractive header, and links that became hard to distinguish in grayscale. He uses CSS print rules to create a more readable paper version, showing how modest adjustments can make a meaningful difference.

His example hides the site header and other screen-only elements, adds a print-only author attribution, sets body text to 12 points and headings to graduated sizes, and changes links to black. He also adjusts code-block styling, though those blocks remain difficult because they tend to stay together and resist breaking across page boundaries. The author acknowledges that building and testing print styles took time, even for a simple site, and that few people may print webpages regularly. Still, he frames print support as a small act of consideration: when a site is primarily text, readers should be able to enjoy it in the medium that works best for them. Thoughtful software, he argues, is built from such practical kindnesses, which can matter even if only one person notices.