/ How to

How to Save and Print a Web Page as a PDF Document

Converting a web page to a PDF document can be useful for saving a copy for offline viewing, sharing content with others, printing cleanly formatted pages, and more. Modern web browsers make it easy to save web pages as PDF files with just a few clicks.

Benefits of Saving Web Pages as PDFs

There are several key reasons you may want to convert a web page to a PDF document:

  • Offline Access – The PDF copy can be viewed without an internet connection. This allows you to read pages on a plane, remote areas with no signal, or anywhere at your convenience.
  • Print Format – Web pages don’t always print cleanly, but PDF documents will retain all formatting, images, text styling, etc. This allows you to print useful reference material.
  • Sharing – PDF files are universally viewable on all devices. You can email PDFs or transfer them between devices easily.
  • Annotations – PDF viewer apps allow you to highlight text, add comments, fill out forms, sign documents, and more. This is useful for marking up content.
  • Archiving – Save an exact copy of a web page. If the live page changes in the future, you’ll still have the original for reference.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Saving a web page as a PDF document only takes a few seconds. Here is the process for some popular browsers:

Google Chrome

  1. Navigate to the web page you want to save.
  2. Click the menu button (three vertical dots) and select Print.
  3. Under Destination, click Change and select Save as PDF.
  4. Click Save and choose a save location.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Navigate to the web page you want to save.
  2. Press Ctrl + P (or Command + P on Mac) to open the print dialog box.
  3. Under Printer, select the Print to PDF option.
  4. Click Print. When prompted, choose a save location.

Apple Safari

  1. Navigate to the web page you want to save.
  2. Click File then Print.
  3. In the bottom left corner, click the PDF drop-down menu and select Save as PDF.
  4. Choose a save location and click Save.

Customizing the PDF

When saving a web page as a PDF, you have options to customize the output:

Scale or Resize

Under print settings, you can scale the page smaller or larger before conversion. This expands or shrinks the final PDF.

Page Orientation

Choose between portrait and landscape page orientation. Landscape may better fit wide web pages.

Page Range

Print only a subset of pages from a long web page by specifying a custom print range.

Margins

Increase or decrease the page margins in the final PDF document.

Headers and Footers

Optionally add headers and footers like page numbers, titles, date, etc.

Background Graphics

Choose to hide background images and colors to reduce file size.

Online PDF Converters

If you don’t have access to a PDF printer on your computer, consider using an online tool:

Simply enter the web page URL and download the generated PDF. Just be aware that your data is processed through third-party servers.

Tips for Better PDFs

Here are some useful tips:

  • Use print preview to see if any content will be cut off or spill onto additional pages.
  • For long web pages, try landscape mode or scale down to 90% or 80%.
  • Check that background colors and images saved properly. Toggle these on or off in print settings if needed.
  • Consider saving just a portion of a page by using the page range option.
  • Name your PDF file something descriptive for easy organization.
  • If a site has a built-in PDF download option, use that for the best formatted conversion.

Troubleshooting Issues

  • If a site doesn’t allow saving pages as PDFs, try printing and using another PDF printer option.
  • For pages that dynamically load content, you may need to enable background graphics for a complete save.
  • If you only capture the visible portion of the page, scroll to the end before printing to ensure no content is left out.
  • If PDF output cuts off content, try landscape mode or scale to a smaller percentage.
  • Very large pages may hit size restrictions. Break the content into multiple PDF files if needed.

Conclusion

Whether you want to save a copy of an article for later, preserve important reference information, or print cleanly formatted pages, converting web pages to PDF documents is easy and useful.

All modern browsers have built-in options to quickly export HTML pages as PDF files. You can also use standalone PDF printers or online conversion tools.

Customize the output then organize and annotate your new PDF documents however you like. Following the tips above will ensure you end up with high-quality conversions without missing content or unreadable formatting issues.

Related Posts