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To capture a webpage as it would look under its print CSS, have an AI agent control a browser, wait for the page content to be ready, switch the page to print media, and take a screenshot. With Playwright, call page.emulateMedia({ media: 'print' }) before page.screenshot(). Use fullPage: true for the full scrollable page; use page.pdf() instead when you need paginated pages rather than one tall image.

Choose a screenshot or a print-ready PDF

A screenshot is a raster image of the browser’s rendered page. A PDF is a paginated document. Playwright’s page.pdf() uses print CSS media by default; page.screenshot() does not, so explicitly emulate print media before taking a screenshot. See the Playwright Page API.

  • Choose a screenshot for a visual snapshot or image-processing workflow.
  • Choose a PDF when paper dimensions, page breaks, orientation, or margins matter. A full-page screenshot can be very tall and does not reproduce pagination.

Capture a webpage with print CSS using Playwright

The example below uses the Playwright JavaScript API and assumes you already have a Playwright page object. It illustrates the capture sequence; it has not been cross-site tested. Check syntax against the Playwright version and language binding installed in your project.

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  1. Navigate to the target URL.
  2. Wait for a page-specific signal that the content you need is ready. Prefer a relevant selector or application-ready condition over an arbitrary delay.
  3. Emulate print media so @media print rules and stylesheets linked with media="print" apply.
  4. Capture the viewport, a selected element, or the full page, depending on what you need.
  5. Inspect the image for missing content, overflow, unwanted controls, and layout changes.
await page.goto(url);
// Prefer a selector or other page-specific readiness condition where possible.
await page.locator('main').waitFor();
await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'print' });
await page.screenshot({ path: 'page-print.png', fullPage: true });

Replace main with a selector that identifies the content you actually need, and add any application-specific readiness check for content that loads after navigation. Waiting for a selector only confirms that the selected element exists; it does not prove every image or dynamic component has finished loading.

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Pick the capture extent, scale, and image format

Viewport, element, or full page

  • Use the default viewport capture when only the visible screen is needed.
  • Use an element screenshot when a specific section is the deliverable; Playwright can capture a selected element.
  • Use fullPage: true to include content beyond the viewport. This produces a single image, not a paginated print document.

Scale and format

Playwright screenshot tooling supports PNG, JPEG, and WebP. Choose the format for the downstream use: for example, an image workflow may need a lossless format, while a smaller file may be preferable for sharing. Screenshot scale can be based on CSS pixels for dimensions aligned to the page’s CSS layout or device pixels for higher-resolution output. Refer to the Playwright Screenshots documentation and the installed API version for available options.

Generate a paginated PDF instead

If the goal is a printable document with page dimensions and page breaks, use page.pdf(). Playwright applies print media for PDF generation by default. Explicitly setting print media can still make the intended state clear in a workflow that has changed media settings.

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await page.goto(url);
await page.pdf({ path: 'page-print.pdf' });

To generate a PDF with screen styling instead, emulate screen media before calling page.pdf(), as described in the Playwright Page API.

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What the print stylesheet controls

A site can put print-specific rules in its main stylesheet with @media print, or load a dedicated stylesheet using a link with media="print". Those rules affect what the browser renders when print media is active. The MDN printing guide explains these approaches and notes that normal specificity and precedence still apply.

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@media print {
  /* Print-specific layout rules */
}

Print CSS may hide navigation or controls, change the reading column, or otherwise alter layout. Those are stylesheet choices, not automatic guarantees of the screenshot API. Use @page when printed page dimensions, orientation, or margins matter; browser support for some paged-media details varies, so check the target browser when those details are important.

Restore the intended media state after capture

Media emulation changes the page’s rendering context. If the agent continues using the page after the screenshot, set the intended media explicitly rather than assuming it has returned to screen styling:

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await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'screen' });

This is a workflow precaution: the API provides the emulation operation, while deciding when to restore the state depends on what the agent does next.

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Troubleshoot common capture problems

The screenshot still looks like the screen version

Make sure await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'print' }) runs on the page before page.screenshot(). For PDFs, remember that page.pdf() uses print media by default; if you deliberately changed the media state, set it explicitly as needed.

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Content or images are missing

Navigation completion is not proof that all page-specific content and assets are ready. Wait for a meaningful content selector or application signal, and inspect the output. A selector’s presence alone does not confirm that lazy or asynchronous content has finished loading.

The capture is too tall or does not have page breaks

fullPage: true creates a full-page image, not a paginated document. Use page.pdf() when paper dimensions and pagination are required.

Print rules do not apply as expected

Check that the site actually defines @media print rules or links a stylesheet with media="print". Inspect specificity and precedence, since other CSS rules may affect the final result. If page dimensions, orientation, or margins are critical, verify the target browser’s support for the relevant @page behavior.

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Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server for developers. One GET request returns an image or PDF; its API supports Playwright-style capture needs such as full-page images. ScreenshotNeo uses the parameter names other screenshot APIs use, which can make switching easier. Here is a one-call image example; see the API documentation for options and response details.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie and consent banners before capture and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and responses indicate the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots.

Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month, with no card required.

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