Easy plugin tip to make your Wordpress posts print friendly so Aunt Bertha can read them too

Mar 17, 2008

Easy plugin tip to make your Wordpress posts print friendly so Aunt Bertha can read them too

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Diversity…it’s a wondrous thing.

There are tall people and vertically-challenged people and thin people and width-challenged people and competent parents and "parents from heck whose little monsters could give The Creature from the Black Lagoon a run for the money" and …

People WITH computers

and

People WITHOUT computers

You can sit back down now and recover from your disbelief. Yes, Virginia, there IS a world in which computers play less of a role than a dancing elephant at a mouse jamboree. Fancy that!

It was quite a shock to realize that there are woebegone, lost souls who actually have (get this!) a life that doesn’t involve a computer.

They (I hope you’re sitting down for this) get the news by reading a <gasp!> newspaper!

An honest-to-God item 3d tangible item that not only is covered by the printed word, but can also be crumpled up and stuffed into wet shoes to dry them from the inside out!

A computer is not involved! Even more startling, a mobile phone or PDA is nowhere in sight! These people are NOT using technology to get their information!!!!

Whew, talk about a lightning bolt of….well, actually, common sense. Think about it. Portions of whole world do not worship computers as do we, portions of the whole world probably think The Blue Screen of Death is the latest Hollywood Home Improvement crossed with Home and Garden TV flick, portions of the world….

…are probably right within your own family.

Let me now ask you:

Do you have any parents/grandparents who shun computers and think the best use for anything containing Windows Vista is a boat anchor or door stop?
Do you think your visitors have the same?
Do you think some of your postings are so funny/insightful/thought-provoking/etc. that people would be willing to relax with 19 cups of coffee and leisurely peruse your latest writings…were they printed out on a piece of 8.5×11 paper provided by their tech-savvy grandkids?

I sure do! And that’s why last week, I scoured the Internet to look for a print-friendly plugin and discovered WP-print.

It’s a handy dandy little plugin that does exactly what it says - it makes your post printer-friendly so extraneous layout features are removed and the text is presented in a very readable format indeed.

You’ll notice at the top of every posting of mine is the link:

Why not print and share this post? (this is my Simplifying Wordpress category hell - Utilize The Evil Temptation of Overkill post).

Supporting images are retained, and extra spacing thingees are excised.

I downloaded it, installed it, and it works like a charm.

Remember your audience! Not everyone reads blogs online…sometimes it’s their technologically-brilliant children who print out the posts and hand it to them. Make it easy for your visitors to create a print-friendly version of your work; your audience will simply grow and grow.

ThankYouVeryMuch!

Owlbert

#BEGIN highlights of this blog writing post:

Beginners blogging tips: There are people out there who would love your writing if they knew how to access it.

Intermediate and/or Advanced blogging tips: Install WP-Print and easily make it simple for people to print out your posts.

#END highlights of this blog writing post

ps - speaking of cats and printers, here’s one cat who could give the Printer Grim Reaper a run for the money:

pps - and speaking about printers!

LEXMARK Z735 HIGH DEFINITION COLOR INKJET PRINTER

100 PRODISC DVD-R WHITE INKJET HUB PRINTABLE 8X

2 Pk HP 56 Black Combo Inkjet Printer Cartridge C6656AN

NEW Canon Pixma MP470 Photo All-In-One Inkjet Printer

1 Liter of MAGENTA Durafirm Inkjet refill ink

1 gallon of LIGHT CYAN Durafirm Inkjet refill ink

30 CD DVD Labels for Inkjet Printer *Make Your Own Kit*

(By the way, if you have any questions about the topics in this posting "Easy plugin tip to make your Wordpress posts print friendly so Aunt Bertha can read them too", do comment below - I'll try to clarify any issues).

Barbara Ling and Owlbert

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