Web Design in a Nutshell, 3rd Edition

Browser Print Mechanisms

All graphical browsers have basic print and page setup controls that interface with the printer the same as any other application. In the Page Setup dialog box, users can generally select whether the page should print in portrait (vertical) or landscape (horizontal) format and specify how many copies to print.

In addition, most browsers have a Print Preview that shows how the page will look when it is printed. The Preview may also provide the ability to add headers and footers with URL and other page information, whether images print, and whether background and text colors should be preserved.

In most cases, browsers do a reasonably good job of printing web pages by default. They generally try to shrink the contents to fit the print area, and they may also be sophisticated enough to preserve background and text colors (for printing light text on a dark background). But if you want to be absolutely sure your pages print in a predictable way, you may choose to take measures into your own hands.