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Subject:
From:
Alastair Campbell <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Alastair Campbell <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Thu, 26 Jun 2003 09:37:59 +0100
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Amy Hendrix wrote:
> ... people almost universally print the onscreen
> version of a page instead of clicking through to the
> printer-friendly version.

In a recent test on a University site (10 users in the UK, mostly 16-18
years old at college), we checked what they thought the print page
option would do. It wasn't part of a task they were asked to complete,
but after the tasks they were asked about the 3 global options which
were represented as icons.

The icons appeared as a printer, a "T only" for text, and a magnifying
glass.

6 of the 8 thought that the print icon would actually print the page,
i.e. it would start coming out of the printer. Given the proximity to
functions which manipulate the page, that was a little unexpected.

This is from a particular sample, but it would be interesting to know if
anyone else has noted this perception in testing.

My personal point of view is that the print option (for re-formatting
the page) is unnecessary for printing - a print style sheet is the best
option because it needs no input from the user. However, I suspect that
many people will still prefer the printable version for reading online!

-Alastair Campbell

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