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Making a page non-printable

Does anyone know how to make a web page non-printable? A client of mine has a current need for users to be able to read the text on the screen, but not to be able to print it out. In fact (my idea) it would be nice if we could print out some sort of message on the paper instead, like "Sorry, you can't print this page".

Thanks

JOK

They would still be able to make a screen shot.

rmh040799

ASKER

True. I guess I'll have to cross THAT bridge when I come to it. Any ideas on the printing thing, tho?

JoeP2

Various Adobe products (e.g. Distiller) can create .pdf files with varying characteristics, one of which prevents copying or printing (of course, the screen capture is still a problem). There are 2 main drawbacks. First, the client must have a compatible version of Acrobat Reader (which is free). The second is that, save a plug-in that turns the "bookmarks" in the .pdf into "named locations", you can't hyperlink to a particular location within the document.

If you go this route, document creation is relatively simple. Just put it in Word and create a table of contents using Heading Styles. This will give you the option of "bookmarks" in Reader's Navigation Pane, or "Named Locations" with a plug-in.

If anyone can find a way to do this with HTML, they deserve the points (and I'll gladly use their advice). Otherwise, I'd be glad to take them off your hands.

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julio_exp

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rmh040799

ASKER

I wish there had been a way to do this without a plugin or applet, but I guess that's in a perfect world.

Thanks for the help.