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In a post published October 24, 2026, web developer Brennen Puth argued that websites containing mostly text should be designed to print cleanly. He shared CSS changes for print layouts and said feedback after the post appeared on Hacker News and Lobsters led him to simplify the stylesheet; no broader industry change is reported.
Web developer Brennen Puth published a case for making text-heavy websites easier to print, showing how print-specific CSS can remove screen-only elements and adjust typography for paper. In an October 26 update, Puth said feedback from readers on Hacker News and Lobsters had prompted him to simplify his stylesheet, underscoring that the page’s design was still being revised.
Puth said he began the project because he reads printed papers and finds that marking up paper helps him engage with a document. When he tried printing his own site using the browser’s print command, he found that its text was too large, its header looked poor on paper and its links were difficult to distinguish in grayscale.
His example CSS uses a print media query to hide elements marked “noPrint,” show content marked “onlyPrint,” set specific font sizes for paragraphs and headings, and render links in black. Puth said he used the rules to remove his site header, add a brief author attribution to the printed version and adjust the appearance of code blocks.
Puth also described a remaining layout problem: code blocks may be treated as a single piece and are difficult to split across page breaks. He asked readers for suggestions, but the post does not report a settled solution. In his October 26 update, he said he was simplifying the stylesheet after receiving feedback, and thanked people who had pointed out issues.
Making Web Text Work on Paper
The post makes a practical case for a design choice that can affect how readers use articles and other text-heavy pages: printing should preserve readability, not simply reproduce a screen layout on paper. A useful print view can remove navigation and other elements that do not help on the page, set type to a comfortable size and keep links legible when printed without color.
Puth acknowledges a trade-off for developers: even a relatively simple site took him a substantial part of a morning to adjust for printing. His argument is not that every site needs a complete alternate design, but that supporting printing can be a small act of consideration for readers who prefer paper or want to annotate a document. The post offers a concrete example rather than data about how many people print websites or how often.
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Print Styles in Puth’s Example
Web pages can use CSS rules that apply specifically when a document is printed. Puth’s post uses an @media print block for these rules, alongside classes to hide or reveal selected elements in the printed version. The post presents this as a way to adapt an existing page, rather than a separate document or a change to the browser’s print function.
Puth first tested his own site by printing it without making adjustments. He then changed font sizes, removed the header, made links black and added a print-only author line. He noted that his code-block styling still needed work. The October 26 edit came after the article attracted feedback on Hacker News and Lobsters; Puth did not specify which individual suggestions he adopted.
“I would personally love to experience more webpages that think about how printing works.”
— Brennen Puth
Open Questions on Print Layout
The post does not establish how many readers print webpages, whether print-friendly design improves reading or accessibility outcomes, or how widely developers will adopt the approach. Puth’s account is personal, and it offers no usage figures or broader survey evidence.
It is also unclear which specific feedback prompted each stylesheet change. The code-block page-break issue remains unresolved in the report, and print results may vary with browser and printer settings. Puth said the stylesheet was being simplified, but did not provide a final version or describe further testing.
Further CSS Revisions Expected
Puth said he was simplifying the stylesheet after feedback received following the post’s circulation on Hacker News and Lobsters. The article does not give a timeline for a final revision, so the next update is not specified.
For now, readers can test the print view using their browser’s print command, as Puth suggests, while developers can review the example CSS and adapt it to their own pages. Whether that attention to printing spreads beyond individual sites remains to be seen.
Key Questions
What is the development behind the story?
Brennen Puth published a personal essay on October 24, 2026, arguing that text-focused websites should print more cleanly and showing changes he made to his own page.
What changes did Puth make for printing?
His example CSS adjusts font sizes, hides some screen elements, displays a print-only author line and changes links to black so they remain visible in grayscale.
What problem does Puth say remains?
Puth said code blocks were still difficult to handle because they tended to print as a single chunk rather than break neatly across page boundaries. The post does not give a final fix.
Did reader feedback change the page?
Yes. In an October 26 update, Puth said comments from readers on Hacker News and Lobsters led him to simplify his stylesheet. He did not list every change prompted by that feedback.
Source: brennenputh.me
