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Windows Explorer browser page print scaling guildeHow to Fit Web Pages Scaled to Fit Your Printer Paper Size
     

  • How to print HTML web pages to fit on 8 1/2 x 11 paper: instructions for proper web page scaling to fit printer paper from all popular web browsers:
  • Firefox browser page print scaling procedure
  • Microsoft Windows Explorer page print scaling procedure
  • Google Chrome Browser page print scaling procedure
  • Safari Browser page print scaling procedure
  • PDF writer utility software can scale web pages to fit properly on printer paper
  • COPYRIGHT VIOLATION POLICY - separate article
  • WEBSITE CONTENT USE POLICY - separate article
  • Questions & Answers about how to print pages from InspectApedia to your paper printer or to a PDF file
  • References

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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.

How to print website pages scaled to your printer: this article describes how to print articles found at InspectAPedia.com or at other websites. InspectAPedia.com is an online building encyclopedia that provides illustrated, detailed un-biased, in-depth information on detecting, diagnosing, correcting and preventing building defects, failures, & indoor health or safety hazards including environmental concerns.

Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.

How to Print Web Pages Fit to Printer Paper Width from Any Web Browser

Also see our WEBSITE CONTENT USE POLICY and WEBSITE CITATION FORMAT GUIDE and WEBSITE COPYRIGHT VIOLATION POLICY

Firefox Browser Print Instructions

How to properly scale web pages to paper size when printing in Firefox:

Firefox browser page scaling tip
  • On the Page Top Tools Bar click
    • File
    • Page Setup
    • Be sure that the checkbox "Shrink to fit Page Width" is checked (see our illustration at left)
    • Click OK
  • Click File, Print, select your printer, click OK

OR

  • On the Page Top Tools Bar click
    • File,
    • Page Preview - to check how the printed page will appear; if the entire page is not fitting in the paper width,
    • Change the page top Scale to 50% to fit the entire page onto your paper, then
  • Use the page top left Print button to proceed.

OR print the web page as a PDF File

Microsoft Windows Explorer Browser Print Instructions

How to scale pages to paper size in the Microsoft Explorer Browser

Windows Explorer browser page print scaling guilde
  • On the page top toolbar click
  • File
  • Page Setup
  • Be sure that the "Enable Shrink-to-Fit" checkbox has been checked
  • Click OK
  • On the page top toolbar click
  • Print or Print Preview (the Print Preview page will show a scaling option at top center of the page to toolbar where you can also select "Shrink to Fit" before printing by using the printer icon at the page top left.

OR print the web page as a PDF File

Google Chrome Browser Print Instructions

How to properly scale web pages to paper size when printing from Google Chrome Browser:

Chrome browser print scaling to paper size

The Google Chrome Browser does not provide a Page Setup Function.

Open the Print menu using Ctrl-P

  • Select your printer
  • Properties
  • Advanced
  • Scaling
  • Set scaling to "Fit to Paper Size" or better, set scaling to 50%
  • OK (to print)

We have also found websites recommending the installation of a PDF bookmarklet such as "Save Page as PDF" but we found an interminable wait when trying to use some of these functions. We had success, however, using a PDF writer and actually printing the web page as a PDF File

Safari Browser Print Instructions

How to properly scale web pages to paper size when printing from the Apple Safari Browser:

Safari print instructions to scale web page to paper size
  • On the page top toolbar click
    • File
    • Page Setup
    • Portrait
  • On the page top toolbar again click
    • File
    • Print
    • Select your printer
    • Print

If the page is not printing properly, on the page top toolbar again click

  • File
  • Print
  • Select your printer
  • Properties
  • Advanced
  • Scaling
  • Set scaling to "Fit to Paper Size" or better, set scaling to Free 50% (see our illustration above), OK
  • OK (to print)

OR print the web page as a PDF File

Using a PDF Writer to Print Web Pages to Scale

How to properly scale web pages to paper size when printing to PDF files. Scaling to fit a web page to paper by printing to a PDF file that is subsequently sent to a printer works well with virtually every PDF file creator or capture program. You may need to adjust the scaling of the original image, however, before sending the PDF file to your physical printer.

Most PDF writers will automagically create a replica of the web page or other document that you want to save or print as a PDF file. And when subsequently you instruct the PDF writer to print that PDF image file, the PDF writer will properly scale the web page or other document to fit the size of paper used in your printer.

In our example (below using CutePDF), you will notice that Page Scaling is set (by default) to Shrink to Printable Area - that's what you want. And Adobe Reader 9 also includes a Shrink to Printable Area option on its Print menu accessed from the toolbar's File menu.

Page scaling using a PDF program

Scaling the Web Page to Fit the Printer Paper via Printer Controls

Once in a while we find that PDF scaling is not quite working as we like. Here we include examples of how we can explicitly instruct our PDF writer to scale the PDF image to the paper size when we send it to an actual physical printer.

If you cannot find a Scale to Page or Shrink to Printable Area feature in the PDF reader/writer's Page Setup menu, depending on which PDF program and version you are using (for example Adobe Reader 5 or earlier) you will need to scale your PDF image in the Page Setup Dialog instead. As a last resort we show below, performing scaling in the actual physical printer dialog box when sending the PDF file to the physical printer.

PDF page print scaling to paper size from any web browser

If you do not already have one, install a PDF reader utility from:

[If you dash off to download one of these programs, please use your browser's back button to return here].

Adobe http://get.adobe.com/reader/

or from another vendors whose programs allow both reading and creating or "writing" PDF files such as CutePDF http://www.cutepdf.com/

Then follow this procedure:

  • In your web browser at the page to toolbar select Print
  • Select the PDF writer as your printer. Here we are using CutePDF
  • When the PDF writer screen opens it will show the web page displayed as a PDF file;
    Select Print
  • Choose a physical printer
  • Be sure that Page Scaling is set to Shrink to Printable Area
  • Print the file - chances are the printed PDF will scale the original web page (or other document) perfectly to the printed paper size.

What to do If the web page is not printing properly scaled to fit the paper following the above procedure - Web Page Print Scaling by Setting Printer Parameters

PDF print procedure to properly scale web page to paper size
  • In your web browser at the page to toolbar select Print
  • Select the PDF writer as your printer
    • Select Print
    • On the PDF writer Printer menu used to actually print the PDF to a physical printer, select
    • Layout
    • Advanced
    • Graphic-Scaling: set scaling to 50% (see our illustration at left: we checked the "Free" button and then set the scale ration to 50%.
  • Select OK and OK to return to the print menu and OK to print

Watch out: the exact location of the page scaling function may vary among different printer brands and models as well as among different PDF readers and writers and their version levels.

PDF File Reader, Writer, Scaling, Printing Programs - where to buy or download free

You can do your own web search for PDF readers, PDF writes, or free PDF readers. Here are some nice examples of PDF software. Most of these PDF print software packages include a free or free trial version.

[If you dash off to download one of these programs, please use your browser's back button to return here].

  • Adobe PDF file display or print software http://get.adobe.com/reader/
  • CoolPDF Software http://www.pdf2exe.com/reader.html
  • CutePDF http://www.cutepdf.com/ (we use this software)
  • Document Printer http://www.verypdf.com/artprint/index.html
  • Foxit PDF Tools http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/reader/
  • VeryPDF http://www.verypdf.com/pdfinfoeditor/index.html

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

  • ...

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
  • Home Reference Book - Carson DunlopThe Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

    Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
  • ...
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