A reader clicks "Print" on your article, and the printer spits out a misaligned column, half a page of menu, and a logo over the text. It looks like the layout was done at the last minute. Yet for the visitor, this is a moment of truth: the paper version, the final imprint of your content.

Almost every WordPress site ignores the print version. That's a mistake: according to Nielsen Norman Group, 57% of users have printed a web page at least once in the last year. Recipes, instructions, contracts, receipts, people need paper, even if you haven't thought about it.

Below, five plugins that make printing predictable. No broken layouts, no unwanted ads in the printout, and no manual print.css.

💡 Quick overview:

• Choose a plugin in two minutes: PrintFriendly or Print Page Block, print button without code modifications
• Generate PDFs with watermarks and templates: PDF & Print by BestWebSoft, for business documents and WooCommerce
• Compile a blog into a book or ePub: Print my blog, thousands of posts in one click
• Get a lightweight solution without JavaScript: WP Print Friendly, pure PHP, minimal settings

1. PrintFriendly

The most popular print plugin in the WordPress catalog: 20,000+ active installs, 4.3 rating. PrintFriendly adds a "Print / PDF / Email" button and opens a preview window where the visitor decides for themselves whether to remove images, change font size, or delete an extra paragraph before printing.

The plugin automatically detects the content area of the page. You don't need to write a separate print.css, it cuts out menus, sidebars, and the footer by itself. It supports 30 languages and adjusts the interface to the user's browser language. We've installed it on news sites with 5,000+ articles, not a single conflict with themes and caching plugins.

The Email button is particularly nice: the visitor can send the article to themselves by email directly from the preview window, without copy-paste. For newsrooms where readers forward materials to colleagues, this cuts the path in half.

• Pros: auto content detection without manual setup, 30 interface languages, "Print / PDF / Email" buttons in one window, ability to remove blocks before printing, active support (v5.5.10, May 2026), 4.3 rating on wordpress.org
• Cons: free version shows ads in the preview window; not suitable for sites with strict GDPR requirements, only Pro version complies
• Price: Free (with ads) / Pro from $40 per year (no ads, GDPR)

🔗 PrintFriendly on WordPress.org

2. Print Page Block

If the site runs on the block editor, this is the most straightforward way to add printing. Print Page Block, a Gutenberg block: you insert it in a post or page and get a button. No shortcodes, no PHP.

The free version offers several button styles, icon support, and a choice: print the entire page or a specific element by CSS selector, for example, #content or .article-body. Pro adds modal printing, page orientation, headers/footers, and advanced typography with Google Fonts.

The plugin is actively developed: version 1.3.1 from June 2026, tested with WordPress 7.0. The developers quickly fix bugs and add new features. In our experience, for a project on pure Gutenberg, this is the most lightweight entry into the print topic, literally one block and you're done.

• Pros: Gutenberg block, no need to touch code, 10 button styles, print section by CSS selector, actively updated (v1.3.1, June 2026), lightweight
• Cons: only for block editor sites; Pro features (modal printing, headers/footers) are paid; less than 2,000 active installs, community is still small
• Price: Free / Pro (advanced print controls, custom icon, shadows, and Google Fonts)

🔗 Print Page Block on WordPress.org

3. PDF & Print by BestWebSoft

If printing is only half the task, and the other half is generating PDFs with watermarks, templates, and custom fields, look at BestWebSoft. The plugin adds "PDF" and "Print" buttons to posts, pages, widgets, and custom post types.

The free version already can: choose button position (top, bottom, in widget), set PDF size (A4, Letter), custom margins and document styles, include title and featured image in output. Pro adds watermarks on PDFs, copy protection, custom headers/footers with date, author, and page number, plus compatibility with WooCommerce and ACF.

In practice, the plugin works well on sites with document management: invoices, contracts, reports. 9,000+ active installs, v2.4.7, tested with WordPress 7.0. Documentation is detailed, with video tutorials on the developer's YouTube channel.

• Pros: PDF generation and print in one plugin, watermarks and copy protection (Pro), custom headers/footers with date and author, compatibility with WooCommerce and ACF, detailed documentation with video tutorials
• Cons: settings interface is overloaded with options, beginners will need time; watermarks and protection only in Pro
• Price: Free / Pro from $43 (lifetime license for one site)

🔗 PDF & Print on WordPress.org

4. Print my blog

Print my blog solves a task that other plugins don't reach: printing thousands of posts in one click and turning a blog into a book, PDF, or ePub. If you run a knowledge base, online course, or want to make a "print backup" of the entire site, this is your tool.

Three modes of operation. Quick Print loads all posts onto one page, removes sidebars, menus, and popups, and sends it to the browser for printing, record: 3,000+ posts at once. Print Buttons adds "Print / PDF / eBook" buttons for visitors with flexible settings. Pro Print turns content into professional layout: table of contents with page numbers, footnotes, two-column layout, Roman numbering for introduction.

8,000+ active installs, v3.27.17, tested with WordPress 7.0. Developer Michael Nelson responds personally, not a bot. Open source project on GitHub. The best find for authors who want to publish their blog "on paper" without layout in InDesign.

• Pros: print thousands of posts at once, export to ePub and eBook, professional layout with table of contents and footnotes (Pro), developer responds personally, open source, fully GDPR-compliant
• Cons: interface is more complex than competitors; Pro is subscription; overkill for a simple print button
• Price: Free / Pro from $20/month (Hobbyist: 4 PDFs without watermarks, unlimited ePub; Professional and Business, more PDFs and team features)

🔗 Print my blog on WordPress.org

5. WP Print Friendly

The lightest solution in the selection. WP Print Friendly adds a link to a "printer-friendly" version for posts and pages through the standard WordPress template system. No JavaScript, no external services, everything works on pure PHP.

When the visitor clicks "Print," the plugin delivers the same post but through a separate template: no menu, sidebars, and footer. Links in the text are converted to endnotes, the reader of the paper version sees the URL, not just underlined text. Perfect for those who want "set it and forget it."

500+ active installs, v0.6.4, tested with WordPress 6.9.4. Codebase is minimal, nothing to break, even if the plugin isn't updated for months. For older themes without the block editor, a workhorse.

• Pros: no JavaScript, no external services, links converted to endnotes, minimalist, doesn't load the site
• Cons: less than 1,000 installs, no block editor (classic themes only), basic functionality, no PDF and email
• Price: Free

🔗 WP Print Friendly on WordPress.org

If you want to see how printing works live, here's a short PrintFriendly demo from the development team:

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

Do I need to write separate CSS for printing?

If you install PrintFriendly or Print my blog, no. They cut out menus, sidebars, footer, and popups themselves. WP Print Friendly uses the theme's standard template, which can be customized through print.css in a child theme. Print Page Block prints the selected CSS selector, you don't need to touch styles at all. Most modern themes (Astra, Kadence, GeneratePress) already have built-in print styles.

Is the free version enough or do I need to pay?

The free versions are sufficient for most sites. PrintFriendly Free works completely but shows ads in the preview window, only there, not on the site. PDF & Print Free provides basic printing and PDF. Print my blog Free can do Quick Print and buttons for visitors. Pro is needed when you earn from content: publish books, sell PDF brochures, or undergo GDPR audit. For a commercial site with an EU audience, PrintFriendly Pro is mandatory, the free version doesn't comply with GDPR.

Which plugin loads the site the least?

WP Print Friendly, pure PHP, zero JavaScript, zero external requests. Next is Print Page Block, one JS file for the button and printing. PrintFriendly loads a script from CDN (print and PDF are generated on their server), but asynchronously, doesn't affect page speed. Print my blog in Quick Print mode loads all posts onto one page, on a blog with 5,000+ posts it might stall. For a regular blog, the difference is imperceptible.

Can I prevent printing of specific content blocks?

Yes. PrintFriendly supports CSS classes .print-only and .no-print, wrap them around blocks that need to be shown or hidden. Print my blog allows excluding individual posts from output through project settings. PDF & Print by BestWebSoft allows disabling buttons for specific post types and pages.

Is it mandatory to place a print button on every page?

No. All plugins in the selection allow placing the button selectively: through shortcode in the needed posts, through categories (PrintFriendly), or through Gutenberg block (Print Page Block). We recommend placing the button on articles longer than 800 words, recipes, instructions, and pages with prices, everything the user might want to save.

What to do if after updating WordPress the print plugin broke?

First check the plugin version in the admin panel, all five plugins from the selection are tested with current WordPress versions. If an update is available, install it. Didn't help, temporarily switch the theme to standard (Twenty Twenty-Five): if printing works, the problem is in the theme, contact the developer. For PrintFriendly and Print my blog, support responds within 24 hours on wordpress.org.

What to install on a site in 2026

Let's draw the line without illusions. The print version is not about "a feature for show." It's about usability: if a visitor prints an article and it looks decent, they'll return. If they get a broken sheet, you've lost trust.

• For bloggers and news sites, PrintFriendly. The most polished print, PDF, and email in one package. Accept the ads in the free version or pay for Pro.
• For Gutenberg sites, Print Page Block. Insert a block and forget. For single-page sites and landing pages, the best choice.
• For business with documents, PDF & Print by BestWebSoft. Watermarks and PDF protection pay off when clients receive invoices and contracts.
• For authors who want a book, Print my blog. Compile the blog into ePub and publish on Amazon. Pro layout with table of contents and footnotes is impressive.
• For minimalists, WP Print Friendly. Set it and forget it. No JavaScript, no external services, only PHP and theme template.

Choose not the most feature-packed plugin, but the one that solves your specific task. A print button in five minutes today is a reader who will return tomorrow.