To print an article without ads, open it in your browser's reading view and print from there. Microsoft Edge documents Immersive Reader as its workaround for clutter-free printing, and Safari Reader shows an article without navigation or other distractions. In the print dialog, also leave headers and footers and background graphics unchecked.
The steps below come from each browser's official help pages, checked on October 6, 2026. Menu names can change between versions.
This guide is part of A guide to saving articles and reading them later, which organizes every guide on the topic.
How do I print without ads in Microsoft Edge?
Microsoft's Print in Microsoft Edge page describes it this way:
- Open the page you want to print.
- In the address bar, select the Immersive Reader icon, or press F9 on Windows.
- Select Settings and more > Print, or press Ctrl+P on Windows or Command+P on macOS.
- Choose your settings and select Print.
Microsoft notes that Immersive Reader may not be available on every website, and that it is working on a clutter-free option inside the print dialog itself. The same page explains how to print only part of a page: select the text or images, right-click and choose Print.
And in Safari on a Mac?
Apple's guide says Safari Reader shows an article on one page, formatted for reading and without navigation or other distractions. Click in the Smart Search field and choose Show Reader; the option appears only when the page has an article Reader can show.
With Reader open, choose File > Print. In the Safari print options you decide whether to include the background and the web address and date in headers and footers, and the PDF button saves a copy instead of printing.
What about Google Chrome?
Chrome has a reading mode: right-click the page and choose Open in reading mode. Google says it is not available on all websites and that you can also view it in the side panel. Its help page covers fonts, spacing and read aloud, but it does not describe printing from reading mode.
To print in Chrome, Google's Print from Chrome page says to use File > Print or Ctrl+P (⌘+P on a Mac), then choose the destination and settings. Before printing, check the preview: if it shows sidebars or ads, a selection of the text alone may be shorter.
Which print settings remove the most clutter?
Two options, documented in Edge's help:
- Headers and footers: adds the date in the header and the page number in the footer. Leave it off if you want only the text.
- Background graphics: includes the page background. Leave it off to skip colors and boxes; Microsoft suggests turning it on if the preview looks different from the page.
A checklist before you hit Print
An original suggestion by KeepAnalog, not a browser rule:
- Look at the page count in the preview. If it doubles the article length, something extra is still there.
- Make sure the title, author and site name made it onto paper; reading views sometimes drop them.
- Write down the URL and the date you read it, so you can cite the article later. The format is in How to cite a website article in APA and MLA.
- Save a PDF as well: a page you can find online today may disappear, as explained in When links disappear.
Not sure an article is worth paper? Paper or screen? Choose by reading task helps you decide.
What if you want several articles printed together?
That is what KeepAnalog does: one person chooses eligible public links (HTML pages or PDFs) and they become a monthly printed issue. The editorial preview shows each piece's title, byline when there is one, and source site, and nothing is printed or charged until the person approves the issue. For now the pilot is in Argentina only, with no delivery in the United States. More in What is a personal reading issue?