printer output / problems wanted

[da boens]

Hi,

I was wondering if someone could help me.
I'm working on the design of a dialogue between two artists. The transcript will be distributed for free over the internet. The challenge here is to design something that can be read on screen, but (if the reader wants to) can also be printed for further reading.

One of the first ideas I had was to design something that will have a different output when printed. I was thinking about the hard times most of us will have had when something comes out of the printer that doesn't look like the way we intended it to be. (ie. color, font, etc.)
So now I'm wondering if you know some 'defects' that will change the outcome of a design when printed, because it would be interesting to, for once, integrate these 'defects' on purpose.

thanks in advance

[Toon]

Use CSS and have a stylesheet for screen and then a separate one for print...

A List Apart: Articles: CSS Design: Going to Print

[Cwilk]

A PDF would work.

[zumojuice]

a PDF would (at least in theory) reduce print issues ya?

A lot of the defeats you are after and therefore wish to include in your work may have been rectified or are indeed so annoying they are likely to defeat the point.

I imagine the location/orientation of the text page wise, could be played with, as could screen lines (as ink runs out). The real unknown is that, if you are wanting users to print this off, then you are highly likely to have a more unpredictable outcome..

[Cwilk]

Originally Posted by zumojuice

The real unknown is that, if you are wanting users to print this off, then you are highly likely to have a more unpredictable outcome..

Zumo,....are you referring to a PDF being unpredictable in the printing outcome?

[zumojuice]

ummm no. just printing in general...

[tommylogic]

I like Flash Paper. I saw another the other day too:

Scribd: iPaper

I'm liking that one a LOT!!!

Pdf's have become an issue for me since CS3 took out the native flashpaper support. I have a lot of PC users who are reluctant to pop up a resource hog Adobe PDF, although I still offer documents & articles in that form on my site.