Printing a website might seem straightforward, but ensuring you capture all the necessary information, like the URL, can sometimes be tricky. Whether you need a hard copy for offline reading, record-keeping, or sharing information without digital access, printing a webpage effectively is a valuable skill. This guide will walk you through the process of printing websites, focusing on how to include the crucial website address and enhance your printed output.
When you aim to print a standard webpage (HTML) using Google Chrome, you’re generally presented with a user-friendly print dialog offering several customization options. One particularly useful feature is the ability to include headers and footers.
By selecting the Headers and footers option within Chrome’s print settings, you can automatically add elements like the date, page title, and most importantly, the webpage URL to the printed document’s footer. This ensures that anyone reading the printout can easily reference the source of the information. Additionally, this dialog typically allows you to choose two-sided printing for duplex printers and offers a Print using system dialog option, which utilizes your operating system’s native print functionality instead of Chrome’s built-in features.
However, the process becomes less straightforward when dealing with PDF files viewed within Chrome. Unlike HTML webpages, printing PDFs directly from Chrome’s built-in viewer significantly reduces your options. You’ll typically only encounter choices like Fit to page and Two-Sided printing. The crucial Headers and footers option, which is essential for displaying the URL, is absent when printing PDFs in this manner.
This limitation means that directly printing a PDF from Chrome’s viewer will not automatically include the website URL or any header/footer information. So, what are the solutions to ensure your printed website, especially PDFs, includes the necessary URL?
While a simple, direct solution within Chrome for PDFs is currently lacking, there are effective workarounds to achieve your goal of printing a website with its URL. Here are two primary methods:
1. Download and Edit the PDF:
This method involves saving the PDF file to your local computer and then using a PDF editor to add the URL.
- Save the PDF: Right-click anywhere on the PDF webpage displayed in Chrome.
- Select “Save as…” (or “Save Page As”). Choose a location on your computer and save the PDF file.
- Use a PDF Editor: Open the downloaded PDF file using a PDF editor such as Adobe Acrobat Pro or a free alternative like LibreOffice Draw or online PDF editors.
- Add Header or Footer: Most PDF editors have options to insert headers and footers. Locate this feature within your editor’s menu (often under “Edit” or “Tools”).
- Insert the URL: In the header or footer settings, manually type or paste the URL of the website. You might need to copy the URL from Chrome’s address bar before opening the PDF in the editor.
- Customize and Print: Adjust the header/footer appearance (font, size, position) as needed. Then, print the edited PDF file.
2. Utilize an Online PDF Editor:
For a quicker approach without needing desktop software, online PDF editors provide a convenient solution.
- Copy the PDF URL: Ensure you have the web address (URL) of the PDF file open in Chrome. Copy the URL from the address bar.
- Access an Online PDF Editor: Search for “edit PDF online” in a search engine. Numerous free and paid online PDF editors are available (e.g., Smallpdf, Adobe Acrobat online, iLovePDF).
- Upload the PDF: Most online editors allow you to upload a PDF from your computer or directly from a URL. If the latter option is available, paste the PDF URL you copied. Otherwise, you may need to download the PDF first (as in method 1) and then upload it.
- Add Header/Footer and URL: Similar to desktop editors, find the header/footer insertion tool within the online editor. Add the website URL to the footer or header area.
- Edit and Download/Print: Make any necessary adjustments to the header/footer. Once done, download the modified PDF file or print it directly from the online editor if that option is provided.
By using either of these methods, you can effectively print websites, including PDF documents, and ensure that the crucial website URL is present in the printed output. This makes your printed documents more informative and easier to reference back to the original online source.
