How to automatically print preview webpages?

Posted:
in Genius Bar edited January 2014
I work in a computer lab and the kids never use print preview. As a result, an extreme amount of unnecessary pages are printed. Is there any way to set make print preview automatic when printing from webpages? I would rather not do this with other applications since people know what they are printing when they are using other applications (Office).



All of the computers are running Tiger.



Thanks.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 6
    lundylundy Posts: 4,466member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Neruda

    I work in a computer lab and the kids never use print preview. As a result, an extreme amount of unnecessary pages are printed. Is there any way to set make print preview automatic when printing from webpages? I would rather not do this with other applications since people know what they are printing when they are using other applications (Office).



    All of the computers are running Tiger.



    Thanks.




    What browser, please.
  • Reply 2 of 6
    Your other option might be to set the default printer to PDF rather than paper.



    You could also remove the printers and compel them to output PDF files (then if required you could transfer the PDF files to a printer-installed machine over the network output them on a case-by-case basis)... a bit of a kludge, but it would help get the message across that printing was for 'special' documents, rather than an excuse for random deforestation.



    Printing web pages is oxymoronic in many cases anyway... web pages are supposed to by dynamic sources of updated information, not static one-offs like print. If you're worried about page content changing or bookmarks moving once stories are archived, a PDF output solves the capture problem while still using only 100% recycled electrons.



    edit: not sure if you can specify this only for browser and not other apps... but it might be possible to hack the .nib files for Safari.



    edit2: of course, you could in principle create multiple user accounts to work around this...

    the "web browser but only PDF printer" user could be distinct from the "other apps with real printer" user...

    YMMV, and it might depend on the default configuration of the lab, but it should be possible.
  • Reply 3 of 6
    nerudaneruda Posts: 439member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by lundy

    What browser, please.



    Safari and Firefox.
  • Reply 4 of 6
    nerudaneruda Posts: 439member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by curiousuburb

    Your other option might be to set the default printer to PDF rather than paper.



    I tried that, but after the 300th person came up to me and asked me why their pages weren't printing, I decided that this was not really a viable option.



    About two to three reams of paper are being wasted per day (the last page of a webpage is usuall blank with the url at the bottom), and we don't want to stop people from printing, we want them to stop printing useless/empty pages. The lab is too big for us to tell everyone to use print preview and since most people do not know how to use it it would be better if print preview would automatically pop up when someone tries to print from a webpage.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by curiousuburb

    Printing web pages is oxymoronic in many cases anyway... web pages are supposed to by dynamic sources of updated information, not static one-offs like print. If you're worried about page content changing or bookmarks moving once stories are archived, a PDF output solves the capture problem while still using only 100% recycled electrons.



    Some people prefer the tactile experience of paper over a computer screen. I am the same way. Whenever I need to read something from the web I would rather print it out rather than read it from a computer screen.
  • Reply 5 of 6
    ishawnishawn Posts: 364member
    By the way, is there a way to print selection like you can do on a Windows (The absolutely only feature I want from PC).
  • Reply 6 of 6
    keotkeot Posts: 116member
    Perhaps a Firefox extension would work? There seems to be a few related to printing here.
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