CSS Chrome Doesn’t Support CSS @page

In this article, we’ll explain how the CSS @page rule isn’t supported in Chrome and provide solutions.

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Introduction to the CSS @page Rule

CSS The @page rule defines the page styles for printed documents. These styles can be used to set page size, page orientation, headers, footers, and more. @page rules take effect when printing or viewing a web page in print preview.

Chrome vs. CSS Support for the @page rule

However, it’s worth noting that current versions of Chrome have some limitations in their support for the CSS @page rule. Specifically, Chrome doesn’t support modifying page size, page orientation, headers, and footers via CSS style sheets.

Solution 1: Generate PDF using JavaScript

One solution is to generate PDF documents using JavaScript. By using a JavaScript library like jsPDF, we can manipulate the DOM on a web page and export it as a PDF file. This gives us complete control over the page layout and styling.

Here is a simple example of using jsPDF to generate a PDF:

// Import the jsPDF library 
import jsPDF from 'jspdf'; 

// Create a new PDF instance 
const doc = new jsPDF(); 

// Add text 
doc.text('Hello World!', 10, 10); 

// Save the PDF file 
doc.save('example.pdf'); 

Using this method, we can customize the page size, orientation, headers, and footers.

Solution 2: Using a Print Style Sheet

Another solution is to use a print style sheet. A print style sheet is an additional CSS style sheet that is applied to a web page when it is printed. By setting appropriate styles in the print style sheet, we can simulate the effects of customizing the page size, orientation, headers, and footers.

Here is a sample print stylesheet:

@media print { 
/* Set page size and orientation */ 
@page { size: A4 landscape; /* Horizontal page orientation */
margin: 0;
}

/* Set header and footer */
@top-left {
content: "Header left content";
}

/* Set header and footer */
@top-right {
content: "Header right content";
}

/* Set header and footer */
@bottom-left {
content: "Footer left content";
}

/* Set header and footer */
@bottom-right {
content: "Footer right content";
}
}

By importing this print style sheet into the web page, we can see the customized page style in the print preview page.

Solution 3: Use a third-party tool

Finally, another solution is to use a third-party tool. Some tools specifically designed for PDF generation, such as wkhtmltopdf, can export webpage content to PDF and allow you to customize the page style.

These tools typically operate using command-line or API calls. For detailed usage and functionality, please refer to their official documentation.

Summary

Although Chrome has some limitations in supporting the CSS @page rule, you can achieve custom page styling by using JavaScript to generate PDFs, print style sheets, or third-party tools. These solutions provide you with flexibility and control to meet your page styling needs when printing or previewing.