Firefox is getting Simplify Page for Print feature

Yet another useful feature is coming to Mozilla Firefox. With Firefox 49 and above, it is possible to print web pages in simplified mode, where all the unnecessary elements will be stripped from the web page to clean it up and save printing resources. This will make the main content on the page more suitable for reading. For those who do not even wish to print the rest of the clutter, this is an extremely useful feature.

It looks like this new feature is powered by Reader Mode. When enabled, it prints the page exactly with the same look that you see for the web page in Reader Mode.
All the clutter including images, ads, banners and other page elements which are not related to the main text of the page that you want to print will not be printed. This create a perfect output for reading.

Here is how the page looks with the default print preview:

Now, let's enable the Simplify Page option. As of this writing, the feature exists in Firefox 49 beta, Firefox 50 Nightly and related releases built on the same code base. Also, currently it is disabled and you need to enable it using about:config as described below.

• Open a new tab in Firefox and enter the following text in the address bar:

  about:config

  Confirm that you will be careful if a warning message appears for you.

• Enter the following text in the filter box:
  print.use_simplify_page
• The option print.use_simplify_page will appear in the list. Set it to true:
• Now, print the same page once again. No browser restart is required. You will notice a new checkbox "Simplify Page" in the print preview UI. Tick it.

The result will be as follows:

Watch the following video to see it in action:

Tip: You can subscribe to Winaero at YouTube.

Note that this feature works only for those pages where Reader Mode can be activated. If the browser cannot render a cleaned up page in Reader Mode, it cannot be printed using the Simplify Page option.

The Simplify Page feature is definitely a useful addition for Firefox users. By cleaning up the page content, you can print exactly what you want, removing clutter and saving your printer toner or ink.

Those using Google Chrome to print will be knowing that it already has this feature.

What do you think about this new feature? Will you use it when it lands in the stable channel of the Firefox browser?