How to save and print web pages reliably

It is usually quite tricky to save web pages because of a few reasons:

  • A web page is made up of multiple files, such as images, scripts and style sheets.
  • A web page might contain transient information, such as an online purchase receipt
  • Every web browser will save a web page in a different way, often due to the above reasons
  • Web browsers will often modify the saved web page so that it does not look the same later or it does not look the same in another web browser

Printing web pages is another problem because what you see is often not what you print. The "Print Preview" function of most web browsers are not 100% accurate.

One solution to the problem is to convert the web page you want to save or print into a PDF (Portable Document Format) file. PDF is a file format that ensures that a file will always look the same no matter when or where you view it. Many programs can generate or view PDF files free-of-charge.

  • Download and install a PDF "virtual" printer, such as CutePDF (cutepdf.com) or PrimoPDF (primopdf.com)
  • When you are ready to save a web page, select File > Print...
  • Select CutePDF as your printer
  • Click "Print"
  • CutePDF will prompt you for the file name, enter a file name and click "Save"

This solution is very useful for saving online purchase receipts, saving and printing online maps.