How to Print WooCommerce Product Pages for Your Customers: A Beginner’s Guide
Do you want to let your customers easily print your WooCommerce product pages? Maybe they want to keep a physical copy for reference, share it with someone offline, or simply prefer reading on paper. Whatever the reason, offering a print option can significantly enhance their shopping experience.
This guide walks you through different ways to add a “Print” button to your WooCommerce product pages, catering to both technical and non-technical users. We’ll focus on simplicity and practicality, so you can get this feature up and running quickly.
Why Offer a Printable Product Page?
Think about this: Sarah is renovating her kitchen. She finds a beautiful tile on your WooCommerce store, but she wants to show it to her interior designer, who’s not always online. A printable product page allows Sarah to easily print the product details, including images, dimensions, and price, to share it in person.
This is just one example. Here are a few more reasons why offering a printable product page is a good idea:
- Accessibility: Some customers prefer reading on paper or need a printed copy for accessibility reasons.
- Offline Sharing: Allows customers to easily share product information with others who might not have internet access or prefer physical copies.
- Comparison Shopping: Customers can print out multiple product pages to compare them side-by-side.
- Reference Material: Provides a convenient way for customers to save product details for future reference, especially for complex or technical products.
- Improved Customer Experience: Shows you care about providing your customers with convenient options.
- Button Placement: Choose where you want the print button to appear on the product page (e.g., before or after the product title, summary, or description).
- Button Text: Change the text displayed on the button (e.g., “Print This Page,” “Print Product Details”).
- Button Style: Customize the button’s appearance (color, size, icon).
- Which pages to show it on: Make sure to select “Product” to only show it on WooCommerce product pages.
- CSS Selectors: Adjust the CSS selectors (e.g., `#primary`, `#primary *`) to match the specific HTML structure of your theme. You’ll need to inspect the elements in your browser’s developer tools to identify the correct selectors.
- Complexity: This method requires coding knowledge and can be more complex to implement and maintain than using a plugin.
- Beginner (Non-Technical): Use the browser’s built-in print function.
- Intermediate: Use the “Print, PDF & Email by BestWebSoft” plugin (or a similar plugin).
- Advanced (Comfortable with Code): Use the custom code method.
Method 1: The Simplest Option – Using Browser Print Functionality (No Plugin Needed!)
Believe it or not, the easiest way to let customers print your WooCommerce product pages is often overlooked: telling them to use their browser’s print function!
Most browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) have a built-in print option. You can simply add a small piece of text, like:
“Need a hard copy? Simply use your browser’s print function (File > Print or Ctrl/Cmd + P).”
While this seems basic, it’s often sufficient for many users. It requires no coding, no plugins, and no maintenance.
Example Text to Use:
“You can print this product page directly from your browser. Just go to File > Print (or press Ctrl+P on Windows or Cmd+P on Mac).”
Method 2: Adding a “Print” Button with a Plugin
If you want a more visible and user-friendly “Print” button directly on your product page, using a plugin is the easiest way to go. Several free and paid plugins are available, but we’ll focus on a popular and reliable free option:
Plugin: “Print, PDF & Email by BestWebSoft”
1. Install and Activate the Plugin: Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New, search for “Print, PDF & Email by BestWebSoft,” install, and activate it.
2. Configure the Plugin: After activation, you’ll find a “Print Button” option in your WordPress admin menu. Click on it to configure the plugin.
3. Customize the Button: The plugin offers various customization options:
4. Save Changes: Once you’ve configured the plugin, save your changes.
Reasoning: This method is relatively easy and doesn’t require any coding knowledge. The plugin handles the technical aspects of creating a printable version of the product page.
Method 3: Using Custom Code (For Advanced Users)
If you’re comfortable with code, you can add a print button using custom PHP and JavaScript. This method gives you the most control over the appearance and functionality of the print button.
Step 1: Add a Print Button to Your Product Page Template
First, you need to find the WooCommerce product page template file. This is often located in your theme’s `woocommerce` directory. If you don’t have one, copy it from the WooCommerce plugin directory. Important: Always use a child theme when modifying theme files to prevent your changes from being overwritten during theme updates.
Inside the product page template (e.g., `single-product.php`), add the following HTML code where you want the print button to appear:
Step 2: Style the Print Button (Optional)
You can add CSS to style the button to match your website’s design. Add the following CSS code to your theme’s stylesheet (or using a custom CSS plugin):
.print-button {
background-color: #4CAF50; /* Green */
border: none;
color: white;
padding: 10px 20px;
text-align: center;
text-decoration: none;
display: inline-block;
font-size: 16px;
cursor: pointer;
}
Step 3: (Optional) Advanced – Print-Specific CSS
To optimize the printed version of your product page, you can use CSS media queries specifically for printing. This allows you to hide elements that aren’t necessary for printing (like navigation menus, sidebars, etc.) and adjust the layout.
Add the following CSS code to your theme’s stylesheet (or using a custom CSS plugin):
@media print {
body * {
visibility: hidden; /* Hide everything */
}
#primary, #primary * {
visibility: visible; /* Make main content visible */
}
#primary {
position: absolute;
left: 0;
top: 0;
}
}
Important Considerations:
Reasoning: This method provides maximum flexibility, allowing you to customize the print button and the printed output exactly to your liking. However, it requires a good understanding of HTML, CSS, and WordPress templating.
Choosing the Right Method
The best method for adding a print option to your WooCommerce product pages depends on your technical skills and the level of customization you need:
No matter which method you choose, providing a print option can significantly improve your customers’ shopping experience and make your WooCommerce store more user-friendly. Good luck!
