Save Chrome Pages as PDFs

In this modern era, “information” is arguably the most invaluable resource. Every day we browse the internet, sifting through countless pages and images, scanning and filtering through details, knowledge, and trivia.

Occasionally we stumble upon a web page so important, so precious, and so glorious in all its entirety that we want to save it for our own sakes. At first, we simply bookmark the page, thinking we can access it easily when you need it again. But a few minutes later, we start spiraling. What if my internet goes down? Will I have server issues? What if someone hacks the website and takes it down?

Then suddenly, an idea! You start taking screenshots of the webpage, saving it as an image. Then, you realize the web page is really long. You’ll need to take dozens of screenshots, which means dozens of files. Whatever shall you do? Is there any other option to save your precious web pages?

Well, there is! Let me tell you how to download your Chrome webpages safely, efficiently, and gracefully by saving them as PDFs.

Converting Webpages to PDFs

There are two ways to convert Chrome pages into PDFs.

1. Using the Print Option

Press CTRL + P, the shortcut for printing the page.
Set the Destination option located in the top right corner to Save as PDF.
Configure the parameters/settings. If needed, select the More Settings button to fine-tune your needs further.
Press Save.
Choose the directory where you will save a PDF file.
Press Save or Enter to finish the process.

You can now check the directory and open the PDF file using the corresponding application. Notice how your web pages are stacked neatly on top of each other. It even has date created/printed on the top left corner of the first page, the article title on the top middle of each page, the page numbering on the bottom right corner, and the source URL on the bottom left corner of each page.

2. Using Web Application

Select the entire URL of your web page, then copy it.
Go to https://webpagetopdf.com/. Paste the web page URL into the box.
Configure the parameters/settings. This particular site often produces a document with a very tight margin. It is advisable to adjust the right-side margin by at least 20mm.
Press Convert.
Wait for the download to finish.

The website I mentioned above is just one of many capable online tools out there, so feel free to use other sites. The downloaded PDF is saved to your default download directory. You can press CTRL+J to access your downloaded files. The final PDF file is cleaner because it doesn’t include the URL, article title, or page numbers like the print option does, just the original web pages.

The Pros

Preserves URL

If your webpages have several links for further referencing or navigation, then this method makes your life 10x easier. Saved webpage PDFs retain the URL of its original webpages. If you open the PDF and click on the link, it will open a browser and navigate to the website.

Highly Modifiable

PDF is made for modifying a set document. Be it annotations, labels, highlights, stamps, or even signatures. This makes it easier to point out something within the document to your colleagues for proving your point.

Consistent Printing

PDF files employ something called WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get), which means the PDF and the printed document will always look the same.

Easy Transporting

Sometimes you need to show the webpage PDF to your college professor, friends, or family. It’s just as easy as dragging and dropping the file to your flash drive or smartphone. Furthermore, when you have a boatload of PDF webpages and don’t have enough space, you can compress it, which shaves half of the file size.

The Cons

In the past, to read articles, you had to buy a newspaper. Today, to read articles, you need internet access. But this also comes with advertisements. Even though its annoying, content creators need money, too. In this case, the only blemish to your webpage PDF is ads.

Most of the time, the ads are placed in the corner of the webpage or fit in-between empty spaces. Sometimes, it’s right in your face (pop-up ads) and covers half the screen. This means you have to squint to read the actual article. However, you can get around this by refreshing the page and hope you don’t get pop-up ads. Save the web page when you have an open window.

Closing Thoughts

The most reliable and efficient way to save your webpage is by keeping it as PDF via printing or a third-party web app. It provides all the benefits of a PDF, while the only con is dealing with the advertisements covering the page. Save your pages with PDFs!