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Brainstorming…

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Nov 07.2005

Okay so this is my problem, and I’m trying to brainstorm ideas but nothing’s coming…

The guy I work with wants to make our site printer-friendly. I don’t want to create a whole different site with printer-friendly pages (you know, there’s a button that you click and a new page pops up with the printerfriendly version on it). So, I tried to create a separate .css file for the print media and just leave it at that.

He said that it wasn’t good because “most users will try to find a button or link to open a printer-friendly page and won’t realize that they can just print the page”. So he wants a way to let them know what the page will look like without actually creating a separate page. So I created this: [url]http://www.cityofpoulsbo.com/citysite/[/url] It’s a stylesheet switcher (not even really done yet, but already there’s a problem with it), with two options “printer-friendly version” and “normal view”. He doesn’t like the fact that the page will print with that line (“printer-friendly / normal view”).

So I’m totally out of ideas. Can anyone else think of anything to try or should I just give up and do things my way once and for all?

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19 Comments(s) ↴

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@LiLcRaZyFuZzYNov 07.2005 — You could have a printer icon which would open the page in a new window with the print-css and start open the print thingy with javascript for those who have it enabled, and not for those who don't ?
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@hooloovoo24authorNov 07.2005 — That may work...hmm...something to think about at any rate...
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@LiLcRaZyFuZzYNov 07.2005 — And those who have javascript disabled would have to start the printing manually
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@hooloovoo24authorNov 07.2005 — Which would be okay if I use the same print-css on the regular page...

The only problem is still aesthetics (?). But if I put it in the main <div> (say, right above the content), I can add a class to it that will hide it in the print-css, right? It sounds like the perfect solution! Thanks, LCF. (By the way, I really need to find a way to shorten that name. It drives me crazy typing it all out, and I hate acronyms in place of names!)
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@LiLcRaZyFuZzYNov 07.2005 — LCF is alright or Fuzzy if you wish
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@hooloovoo24authorNov 07.2005 — Hmm...what about Crazy? Can I call you crazy?
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@LiLcRaZyFuZzYNov 08.2005 — hmm...
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@Compguy_PeteNov 08.2005 — here is a site I just did... take a look and do a print preview and tell me how printer friendly it is

http://ccmn.us/
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@LiLcRaZyFuZzYNov 08.2005 — pete, on [I]style-prn.css[/I] you should leave a bit more top margin, the text covers the title most of the time when i get the print preview
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@Compguy_PeteNov 08.2005 — ok I'll make that change... add what maybe 5 pixels?

But more to the point isn't that what he's after?
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@LiLcRaZyFuZzYNov 08.2005 — see those screen shots

[upl-file uuid=99c2571d-1e79-4423-b5c1-a29c8ac1f907 size=11kB]pete_1.gif[/upl-file]

[upl-file uuid=43913af2-2a35-4ae7-adde-eaf7fd127d84 size=5kB]pete_2.gif[/upl-file]
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@Compguy_PeteNov 08.2005 — IC what the issue is... you dont have the font listed... to make the text look how the logo is on the normal site.

Perhaps I'll just change it to use the image instead. being that sometime ago I took out the reason why I did that.

However you have still not answered my question... IS this or IS this NOT what the poster is looking for?

Not to be a Task Master however this side line is off-topic, thanks for bringing this to my attention it's something I'll get fixed.
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@LiLcRaZyFuZzYNov 08.2005 — yes and no, because she does want the users to click on some link or icon, open the same content(with the css for print media) in a new window and ask for permission to print.
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@pogy366Nov 08.2005 — ...why don't you just apply the print css style right off the bat? All the visitor has to do is click print rather than going to another page then clicking print. Cut out the "middle man".

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="style.css" media="screen" />

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="print.css" media="print" />

Why would you want to add more clicks than neccessary?
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@LiLcRaZyFuZzYNov 08.2005 — because she said that most of her users would be looking for a button to open a printer friendly page
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@pogy366Nov 08.2005 — ... can you be certain that visitors are really looking for this and relying on it to be there?

I don't mean to bust any chops, it's just that i can't see how that would be something worth fighting for. It doesn't really add anything to the site and it only adds another directory level to deal with.

i think that as CSS becomes more accepted by designers (and used), users will come to realize that they don't need to look for the "printer friendly" icon and simply print the page. It's a matter of accepting the culture shift. ?
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@LiLcRaZyFuZzYNov 08.2005 — yeah, simply put a 'print the page' icon mel, which would trigger the page printing directly.
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@hooloovoo24authorNov 09.2005 — Well, I definitely understand all that, it's just that the problem lies in my superiors, not with me. I'd be happy doing that, Crazy (Fuzzy or possibly Lil), but for the fact that THEY are the one's not happy with it, and THEY are the ones insisiting that people need to see a print icon to be happy. But I'm going to try a few things out and see what will make them happy.
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@LiLcRaZyFuZzYNov 09.2005 — ok, hoo (loo or possibly voo)..or was it 24? (oh, and that number seems so0o random, why 24?)
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