9 Ways to Misunderstand Web Standards

“Misunderstanding #1: “We Need Separate Print Pages” We’ve all seen this – a separate print page, linked to from a crowded, table-layoutish HTML page, aiming to serve no other need than being printed out (it fails, because bloggers link to print pages – they’re mostly easier to read and not split up into multiple pages). The good thing about these pages is that the user gets an instant impression of what the print-out will look like. Of course, the right way to do this would be to serve a separate stylesheet for medium print, and if the browser does it right, it will show the visitor a print preview.

This is old news, but why do I consider it noteworthy? Because it’s the #1 application where media-dependent CSS, on top of media-independent HTML, ought to come into play… and yet, and I’m guessing, only 5% of all pages make use of it. You’d think after years of evangelizing done by web developers, the likes of CNN or Wired would have gotten the point.”

Read the full article hosted by the Google Blogoscope.