Type | Name | Platform | Version | Price | URL | Remarks |
Individual web pages in a static state | PrimoPDF | Windows | 1.0 | Free | UPDATE |
Conclusion |
PrimoPDF 1.0 installs a printer that permits printing a web page as a PDF file. The programme is suitable for use in archiving the visual parts of a web page as static snapshots. Dynamic elements are not archived in this method. The (static) visual parts of the archived web page appear remarkably correct when archived using PrimoPDF, although a functional disadvantage of the programme is that it is often necessary to manually set the scale to be used in archiving; otherwise the full width of the web page is not included in the archiving. It is a disadvantage that the web page is made up in printable format (A4, A3, etc.). |
Recommended settings |
The utility is used by finding the desired web page in the browser (here Internet Explorer 6), after which 'Print...' is chosen in the''File' (ctrl + p) menu, and PrimoPDF is chosen in the dialogue box that now appears. The browser should be set to include backgrounds when printing. This can be done by choosing 'Internet options..' in the ‘Tools’ menu in Internet Explorer, then checking ’Print Background’. It may also be necessary to downscale the print manually (typically to 80%, but depending on the web page width). Next check 'Print', starting PrimoPDF, which will ask for an archiving path and print quality, and 'For Print' should be chosen.. |
Archiving speed | |||
Archiving time (min) | File size (MB) | Archiving speed (MB/min) | Degree of presence required |
Not tested | Not tested | Not tested | Not tested |
Test details |
Tested by: Bo Hovgaard Thomasen Tested by archiving: http://www.dr.dk/nyheder , http://www.dr.dk/skum, http://www.dr.dk/kroeniken/ Speed test carried out by archiving : http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/html/nyheder/baggrund/tema2003/krise/index.jhtml |
The following have been evaluated according to the following scale for the number of archived elements: 0=none, 1=few, 2=average, 3=most, 4=all
Structure | |||
aa | 3 | aa | |
aa | Cascading Style Sheets | 4 | The archived web page follows the online web pageís CSS. |
Page composition | 4 | All elements are correctly positioned on the archived web page | |
Background | 4 | All backgrounds are archived | |
Pop-up-windows | 0 | The programme can only archive individual pages | |
Archiving of all the desired web pages | - | Not relevant for this programme | |
Movement between elements in the structure | |||
Link | 0 | aaa | |
Print/writing | Textual link | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static. |
Pull-down menu | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static. | |
Formulas such as login | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static. | |
Image | Animation | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static. |
Graphics | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static. | |
Photo | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static. | |
Moving images | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static. | |
Link target | 0 | aa | |
Print/writing | Text | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static |
Image | Animation | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static |
Graphics | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static | |
Photo | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static | |
Moving images | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static | |
Other | - | aa | |
Sound | aa | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static |
Automation | 0 | aa | |
a | Automatic redirection | 0 | Links not active, the archived material is static |
Movement in elements in the structure | |||
Automatic + inherent | 0 | aa | |
Print/writing | aaa | 0 | Movable print/writing archived only as snapshot. |
Image | Animation | 0 | Animation archived only as static image |
Moving images | 0 | Moving images archived only as static image | |
Banner ads | 0 | Banner ads archived only as static image | |
Sound | Background sound | 0 | Sound not archived |
Banner ads | 0 | Sound not archived | |
Automatic + online | 0 | aa | |
Print/writing | Chat as reader | 0 | The archived material is static. Chat can only be archived as snapshots without movement. |
Image | Moving images | 0 | The archived material is static. |
Sound | aa | 0 | Sound not archived |
User intervention + inherent | 0 | aa | |
Print/writing | Archived chat | 0 | The archived material is static |
Mouse-over | 0 | The archived material is static. | |
Quizzes | 0 | The archived material is static. | |
Clickable maps | 0 | The archived material is static. | |
Image | Non-streamed image (such as slide show, clickable map) | 0 | The archived material is static. |
Games | 0 | The archived material is static. | |
Quizzes | 0 | The archived material is static. | |
Clickable maps (w. zoom or activation) | 0 | The archived material is static. | |
Mouse-over | 0 | The archived material is static. | |
Sound | Non-streamed sound (e.g. activated in games, quizzes, etc.) | 0 | Sound not archived |
Mouse-over | 0 | Sound not archived | |
User intervention + online | 0 | aa | |
Print/writing | Chat (as participant) | 0 | The archived material is static. |
Polls | 0 | The archived material is static. | |
Test-yourself | 0 | The archived material is static. | |
Image | Streamed images | 0 | The archived material is static. |
Games | 0 | The archived material is static. | |
Sound | Streaming (both archived and live) | 0 | The archived material is static. |
Non-movable elements | |||
aaaa | 3 | aaaa | |
Print/writing | aa | 4 | All print/writing is archived |
Image | aa | 4 | All images are archived |
Sound | aaa | 0 | Sound is not archived |
The test was carried out by graduate student Bo Hovgaard Thomasen during the period from July- December 2004, and its premises and main results are explicated in the text Test of software and strategies for micro-archiving websites.
Note: We do not have the resources to offer technical support or other advice on the use of the tested archiving programme beyond what can be found on this web page.
