Capture Pro / Guides

How to save a webpage as a PDF in Chrome

Chrome's own Save as PDF prints the page, which is not quite the same as what you see on screen. There are two good ways, and which is better depends on what you need the PDF for.

Chrome's built-in Save as PDF

1. Press Ctrl P, or Cmd P on a Mac.
2. Set Destination to Save as PDF.
3. Click Save.

This uses the page's print layout. Many sites hide their menus and some images when printed, rearrange the layout, or break things awkwardly between pages. What it does well is text: the words stay selectable and searchable in the PDF.

A PDF of exactly what you see

1. Capture the page with Capture Pro. Alt Shift F takes the whole page.
2. Add notes or arrows, and black out anything private.
3. Click Save PDF.

The PDF is A4 width. A short capture becomes a single page cut to its own height. A long one is split down as many A4 pages as it needs. The image is stored without any loss of quality, so text stays sharp however far you zoom in.

Which should you use?

• You will want to search or copy the text later: Chrome's Save as PDF.
• It has to look exactly like the screen, or you want to mark it up or black out details first: Capture Pro.