Thread: Creating a Printable Webpage in Soho.....

Hello everyone.

I am going to include a recipe section on my site with thousands of recipes. I want the customer to be able to print the webpages exactly as they are viewing them on the screen.

What would the process be posting pdf files to my website instead of writing each recipe on a new webpage? When the customer clicks on a recipe to view it I want the recipe to immediately open up in a pdf format so they can easily print it.

If someone can give me a detailed process for doing this I would be much obliged. Thank you in advance for your time.

Joe

LOL...."as easy as pie" right?

Keep making your recipies in Word the way you like, and in a familiar format you needn't re-learn.
Instead of "Saving" them when done, you will "Print" them but not using a regular printer: you will use a converter instead!

Visit www.PDF995.com and download the Free PDF converter .... then install it on your computer: it will install as a "printer option", not as a icon/program on your desktop. So, when you go to "Print" that Word created file, instead of quickly clicking through your Print Dialog, use the drop-down Menu and "Select Printer" as PDF995 .....this will automatically 'print to file' and convert the Word .doc to a .pdf file in whatever folder/directory you specify. This process replaces "Saving" as a PDF file.
*Always Save a copy as a Word document first, however, as that way you have a file you can go back and update and then "re-save/print" as a PDF, overwriting the previous.

Lastly, FTP to your public_html/ directory that new PDF file, and when you offer a link to clients, the file will immediately display as a printable and downloadable ("save a copy") file also! They can print it out on their computer!

A proper link to a PDF file would look like this:
www letstalkchef.com/recipie131cornbread.pdf

And that's not just for Word, either! I use the same sort of program, CutePDF Writer. Vasili's suggestion works great for any file that can be printed.

Tom

Ok great. I ran the program and it seems pretty easy to get my files transferred into pdf format. Last question:
What is the process for bringing the files onto soho for web publishing? Not sure how to write the file on the actual webpage and the way in which I link to it so it opens properly. I want the files on the site, not my computer.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Originally Posted by letstalkchef

Not sure how to write the file on the actual webpage and the way in which I link to it so it opens properly. I want the files on the site, not my computer..

You still don't get it: you enter your text content onto your Soho pages as normal, and you include the link to the PDF file as a text link. When a visitor clicks on that text link, the PDF file will automatically open up as a new browser to display the file as a PDF (because it is a completely different format, and not part of the website itself!) -- visitors can read it, Print it (using the Print command in the PDF browser, and print on their comnputer) or choose to SAVE A COPY (download it to their computer).

You do NOT "load" it onto your website: it functions as an independent file! And, especially in your case, you want people to print out a copy rather than peer over a laptop as they cook! It also saves page space by having it in a different browser, which you can either "summarize" the recipie/page or present altogether different text content.
This is why you should always create your PDF files to look as much as your website, to maintain continuity, with the same page header, etc.

And since you mentioned not wanting files on "your computer" I do not think you follow that part of the process either: once you have "saved/converted/printed" your PDF (your computer is the first to "save" a copy of the file) that you copy it (not move it, but COPY it) up to your account (see instructions, please!) via FTP so it is available when the link is clicked on....

You will have to ftp it to your site, or upload thru cpanel file manager, but you wont LOAD it into the page like Vasili has explained. Where your Soho files are, you might want to create a folder and name it 'recipe' or 'pdffiles', and then put them all in there when you up them.

Karen

As long as we're hanging in the kitchen, break out the Vino, will ya?
Feels like it's gonna be another long one...

Vasili,

I was just clarifying in case she tried to upload thru the custom incl, cuz that wont work, and putting it on her page.

Karen