Many times graphics and text contained on a page are not directly related to the main content. However, printing colored backgrounds uses a lot of ink. And if the browser is configured not to print background colors, the light colored text may not provide enough contrast with the white paper to be readable. Printer-friendly pages should use dark font colors and should not use background colors. Online instructors often like to include a list of related Web resources that students might find interesting.
Students often like to print the list for future reference.
This printed list can be very handy if the course site ever goes offline and the page with the links becomes inaccessible. Notice that the URLs of those links are not spelled out. Web designers occasionally like to divide the browser window into two or more frames, usually to separate navigation from content. While frames are often useful, frames-based pages do not function as an integrated unit, making it difficult for users to print material on a page. For example, if you click on the syllabus link of the Public Health Concepts and Practice course and then click your browser's Print button, only the navigation links will print.