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Re: printable pages and text sizing

for

From: Holly Marie
Date: Mar 10, 2002 7:13AM


From: "Nick Wilson"

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> Hi
> I'm involved in discussion about printable pages using css and one of
> the guys there uses points for the text units when he does this.
>
> That doesn't seem particularly thoughtful to me as I would expect the
> printed page to reflect what I had on screen. ie. if I had the text up
> large on screen I'd rather expect it to print that way.
>
> Just wondered what the groups views and experiences might be as I've
not
> really done this myself?
>


I believe you have a point about pt use here.

I wonder if a better option than the @media print, which does not work
with many browsers, wpuld be to have a link for print version? This way
a user that may have experienced printing a document with that type of
link, may be aware that he or she is about to get a universal printed
copy with text that might be standard to a normal population. These
users could instead opt to print from a browser view?

Good point, Nick, and one I had not really thought about here.

I have not changed to points, to offer a print version of a web page,
and when I had used print / text only version, I had still left the ems
or percentage in place but offered up a linear layout of such a page in
black and white mode[no tables and maybe a layout similar to what a lynx
browser would display. This version had no images or colors. Now, I
wonder what the consensus is about offer of a print version or coding a
print version differently? I wonder if the WAI offers some information
on this?

What about PDF documents, does the zoom affect the printed page? Can you
print a PDF with larger text? I know PDF can have several accessibility
issues, including usability for a normal audience, but it is a very
often used as the format for documents on the Net.

Off topic, but maybe of some use, a recipe web site I had once seen
online. It offers variations on how to print these recipe cards by size
of card, and may or may not also offer a variation on text print sizing.

holly



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