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General discussion

forced to waste paper

Jan 23, 2011 1:18AM PST

For YEARS, I have been amazed at the standard printer output when printing from the internet.
1)What is the meaning of the last page, usually two lines of useless advertizing?
If intelligence went into the design, I wouldn't have to click through print preview, the two line advertizement would actually get printed AND there would be less wasted paper.
2)Just hitting "print" yields a portrait print that cuts off all the rightward data, prints the unneccessary junk on the left (ads or just empty space), thus cutting off, for example, the prices or results for which the page was being printed. Again the print preview can fix, but why not automatically either resize to print the landscape on the top of the portrait print OR force a landscape print (where an available option)?
I thought the internet was run by some of the smartest people in computerdom, but where is the intelligence here?
If

Discussion is locked

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Intelligence on your end?
Jan 23, 2011 5:26AM PST

You seem to group all printers into your specific situation.

Doesn't happen in the real world, or any of my PCs. Or, specifically, exact page layout. How can you expect a page layout to match the gazillion monitors, printers, and such, and compare them to yours?

Can you be more specific on your exact printer make and model, the specific page and it's layout, your native resolution of your specific monitor that will include lines both horizontal and vertical that will be included in the "Print page" request?

Portrait vs. landscape? Surely you jest. How is the "system" supposed to know?

Or is your post just a rant and rave?

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Wasted paper
Jan 24, 2011 1:30AM PST

I get the extra sheet printed out that means nothing when I print a receipt for a bill paid online.
I click the "print page" and 8 times out of 10 it uses an extra sheet with a couple lines of useless garbage on it.
Maybe the printer and paper companies got together and set it up that way so we would use more paper, ink etc.
I get around that by using the snipping tool and get only what I need, saving it as a document and printing it from there.
I know that is a round about way, but it gives me a hard copy plus one in my documents and I don't waste paper.

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Have you ever tried ...
Jan 24, 2011 5:29AM PST

using your mouse to select just what you want to print then when you click Print selecting the option to print only the selected area? Try it.

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Thanks Edward
Jan 24, 2011 6:03AM PST

That works great.
Will start doing it that way when I don't need a copy in my documents and only need a hard copy.

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Use Print Preview or
Jan 24, 2011 2:48PM PST

just go to File-Print and tell it to only print page 1. That's what I do every time. Either use Print Preview and see how many pages have the info I want and if it will print the last page with nothing but the extra stuff. Then print just the pages I want. Or just do FILE-Print and select page 1. Not too many more clicks.

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intelligence...
Jan 25, 2011 10:45AM PST

I was looking for "the powers that be" to simplify the system
Why must I do the same thing again and again? I thought that was the job for machines, freeing the human mind

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doesn't seem hard
Jan 29, 2011 4:30AM PST

to adjust it manually, but why not automatically? either print smaller to fit a portrait or turn to print landscape, do something to shrink so unless a given percentage of a page is to be printed upon, it shrinks to fit.
This is a request for edification of the programming.

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???
Jan 24, 2011 9:06AM PST

So your complaining about wasted paper when you print form a webpage?

First off I have no idea what advertisements you are talking about. When I print a web page I get what a printed. However, you will get a second page that will have the web address printed on it.

As for cutting off the right side, most webpages are not optimized to fit on a standard 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. Hence the reason for "printer friendly" webpages.

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??? to you
Jan 25, 2011 10:49AM PST

Want some examples?
You must not try to print web pages (I do, for I work with many smart but computer unsavvy professionals)
Why not automatically resize to fit the print field?????

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There is no need to "waste paper" ...
Jan 25, 2011 11:40AM PST

as the printer driver has an option to print everything or to only print selected pages or to print only selected text.

Try using your mouse to select just what you want to print then when you click Print selecting the option to print only the selected area? Try it.

Automatic resizing of a web page for printing would give you some really strange looking pages with graphics out of place and tables scattered meaninglessly.

Automatic scaling down of the page might work OK for some and that too is supplied by almost all printer drivers under the printer settings. Settings that allow you to print 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 pages on a single sheet of paper. Can make the pages really difficult to read but can save lots of paper.

The options are there, it is simply up to YOU, the user, to make use of them.

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but I do
Jan 29, 2011 3:22AM PST

I am looking to simplify. I do always print preview, but where is/why not an automatic "makeitfit" or size to fit AUTOMATICALLY...

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Re: "I do always print preview"
Jan 29, 2011 7:28AM PST

That makes it easy.

In the browser click File > Print Preview and the Print Preview will open

Click on the Page Setup button (you could also do this from the File menu)

Set up the page and at the bottom click on the Printer button

Select the printer you want and click the Properties button next to it

Now you may have to click through a few tabs as printer drivers can vary but usually it is on the General or Basic tab that you locate a selection for MULTIPLE PAGE

Once you locate this select the number of pages to print per sheet of paper

OK your way back an print. If you can't read it you selected to many pages per sheet (I find two per sheet about right).

Your browser also usually has a few options for printing or not printing background and images.

You have obviously never done any programming or you would immediately see the futility of trying to "automatically" resize anything to be printed because each person has different needs and tastes and each type of printed material has different requirements.

Now, having said that there is one way you can sort of auto resize a web page.

Make use of the alt Print screen key combo then paste your clipboard into MSPaint.

Now click on page setup and there is an option to scale the print output or to adjust to fit the number of pages you select. (There are advantages and disadvantages to this too but live a little. Experiment!)

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and just now
Jan 25, 2011 11:11AM PST

A second reply, but I had to print a receipt for an account and 2 of 3 pages were USELESS, sent for recycling
WASTE!!!!!

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obviously
Jan 25, 2011 10:46AM PST

you did not read my post..."click through print preview"...
was not read by YOU

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Re:
Jan 29, 2011 7:39AM PST

You obviously have struck upon an idea. Now all you need to do is become a software developer to find out how hard the idea you are proposing is.

Rather than continue this rant, find others who feel as you do.>>http://www.petitiononline.com/, http://www.petitionspot.com/, get some man/woman power behind your idea, try to change things.

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excellent,
Jan 30, 2011 4:43AM PST

didn't know this existed..
I've done programming in past, have little time to delve in but welcome the challenge as there is more