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Print vs. Web: What's the difference?
Your corporate message remains the same, no matter how it’s presented. But your message must be adapted for presentation in print and on the Web to take advantage of each media’s strength.
Experts such as Jakob Nielsen have been conducting usability research on Web sites for many years, discovering differences between print and Web use and perception. The chart below outlines some of the major differences.
| Read most or all of the words. | Read only 20% of the words on a page. | |
| Follow lines across the column or page. | Scan the page in an F-shaped pattern. |
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| Will read longer sentences and paragraphs. | Prefer short sentences and bulleted lists. | |
| Can't change a printed document's design, color, size and fonts. | Can change page size, color, fonts and appearance depending on their computers, browsers and preferences. | |
| Can read a document with any font style or print colors available. | Need sites with Web-friendly colors and fonts that work on most computers, which limits choices. | |
Graphics/ |
Photos and graphics can be highly detailed and presented in sizes as large as the printed page. |
Photos and graphics must be presented in smaller size and lower resolution, with less detail, so they don’t slow down a Web page’s loading time. |
| Graphics can be as complex or simple as needed without affecting the rest of the publication. | Graphics can be interactive and animated, adding features that aren’t available in print. |