MacOS – way to print a webpage as PDF in landscape mode using Safari

macospdfsafari

Short question is: can I use Safari to print out a webpage as PDF, but in landscape mode, if no printer is added whatsoever?

Details:

First of all, I cannot use Google Chrome to print out the document

https://redux-toolkit.js.org/usage/immer-reducers

and be able to highlight it, because the highlighting is about 1/3 inch off (try highlighting the header or text and we can see).

So I am using Safari. On my other MacBook Pro, I added a printer, and was able to choose Landscape Mode. But I have a MacBook Air M1 and don't always use that MacBook Pro, and if I use the MacBook Air M1 to print out that webpage, there is no way to choose Landscape Mode, seemingly because no printer is selected, and there is no printer "capability" of printing in landscape mode.

So is there a way to make it work, other than to somehow find a real printer and add a printer?

Best Answer

By default, macOS does provide basic print options of paper size and orientation in the Print menu, even if you don't have a printer. (Though these may need to be 'revealed' using the "Show Details' button.

However, I have always recommended that if you don't have a physical printer, there may be benefits to creating a 'Generic PostScript Printer' print queue.

The "PDF button" in the print menu does rely on the CUPS print system, and that usually means having some form of print queue.

The other option is to use a dedicated print-to-file queue, like CUPS-PDF.

Related Solutions

How to print onto virtual letter paper which exists as PDF

The following python script will Merge one 'template' PDF onto the pages of any PDF file created in the Print dialog. You will need to supply the filepath to the template PDF in the script, then save it in your user Library, inside a folder called "PDF Services" e.g. ~/Library/PDF Services. (This may need to be created, if not already there.)

The script can then be called from the PDF button of the print dialog.

#!/usr/bin/python
# -*- coding: UTF-8 -*-
#
# Merge v. 0.1
# Merges two PDFs 

import sys
import os
import Quartz as Quartz
from Foundation import NSURL, kCFAllocatorDefault
from AppKit import NSSavePanel, NSApp

# OPTIONS
watermark = os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop/myTemplate.pdf")
destination = os.path.expanduser("~/Desktop") # Default destination
suffix = " wm.pdf" # Use ".pdf" if no actual suffix required.

# FUNCTIONS

def save_dialog(directory, filename):
    panel = NSSavePanel.savePanel()
    panel.setTitle_("Save PDF booklet")
    myUrl = NSURL.fileURLWithPath_isDirectory_(directory, True)
    panel.setDirectoryURL_(myUrl)
    panel.setNameFieldStringValue_(filename)
    NSApp.activateIgnoringOtherApps_(True)
    ret_value = panel.runModal()
    if ret_value:
        return panel.filename()
    else:
        return ''

# Loads in PDF document
def createPDFDocumentWithPath(path):
    return Quartz.CGPDFDocumentCreateWithURL(Quartz.CFURLCreateFromFileSystemRepresentation(kCFAllocatorDefault, path, len(path), False))

# Creates a Context for drawing
def createOutputContextWithPath(path, dictarray):
    return Quartz.CGPDFContextCreateWithURL(Quartz.CFURLCreateFromFileSystemRepresentation(kCFAllocatorDefault, path, len(path), False), None, dictarray)

# Gets DocInfo from input file to pass to output.
# PyObjC returns Keywords in an NSArray; they must be tupled.
def getDocInfo(file):
    file = file.decode('utf-8')
    pdfURL = NSURL.fileURLWithPath_(file)
    pdfDoc = Quartz.PDFDocument.alloc().initWithURL_(pdfURL)
    if pdfDoc:
        metadata = pdfDoc.documentAttributes()
        if "Keywords" in metadata:
            keys = metadata["Keywords"]
            mutableMetadata = metadata.mutableCopy()
            mutableMetadata["Keywords"] = tuple(keys)
            return mutableMetadata
        else:
            return metadata

def main(argv):
    (title, options, pathToFile) = argv[:]
    shortName = os.path.splitext(title)[0]
    # If you want to save to a consistent location, use:
    # writeFilename = os.path.join(destination, shortName + suffix)
    writeFilename = save_dialog(destination, shortName + suffix)
    writeFilename = writeFilename.encode('utf-8')
    shortName = os.path.splitext(pathToFile)[0]
    metaDict = getDocInfo(pathToFile)
    writeContext = createOutputContextWithPath(writeFilename, metaDict)
    readPDF = createPDFDocumentWithPath(pathToFile)
    mergePDF = createPDFDocumentWithPath(watermark)

    if writeContext != None and readPDF != None:
        numPages = Quartz.CGPDFDocumentGetNumberOfPages(readPDF)
        for pageNum in xrange(1, numPages + 1): 
            page = Quartz.CGPDFDocumentGetPage(readPDF, pageNum)
            mergepage = Quartz.CGPDFDocumentGetPage(mergePDF, 1)
            if page:
                mediaBox = Quartz.CGPDFPageGetBoxRect(page, Quartz.kCGPDFMediaBox)
                if Quartz.CGRectIsEmpty(mediaBox):
                    mediaBox = None         
                Quartz.CGContextBeginPage(writeContext, mediaBox)   
                Quartz.CGContextSetBlendMode(writeContext, Quartz.kCGBlendModeOverlay)
                Quartz.CGContextDrawPDFPage(writeContext, page)
                Quartz.CGContextDrawPDFPage(writeContext, mergepage)
                Quartz.CGContextEndPage(writeContext)
        Quartz.CGPDFContextClose(writeContext)
        del writeContext

    else:
        print "A valid input file and output file must be supplied."
        sys.exit(1)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main(sys.argv[1:])

Currently, this uses the first page of the template PDF file and puts it on all pages of the output PDF.

MacOS – Print really long webpages to PDF Safari or Chrome — any quick solution

I use a free program called paparazzi https://derailer.org/paparazzi/ It will make log web pages in to a single pdf or Jpg of the appropriate size.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

How to print onto virtual letter paper which exists as PDF

MacOS – Print really long webpages to PDF Safari or Chrome — any quick solution

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