How to get the most from the cache printing page

5.2k · February 12, 2009

With the removal of the PDF option for printing caches, a few people have complained because they thought the PDF option was better than the remaining option for printing cache pages. I think this is mostly because these people are not utilizing the cache printing page to it's fullest potential.

There are a couple of features of this page that are not immediately obvious. First, you can close sections that you are not interested in seeing. Just click on the little arrow next to the heading. Clicking it again will show the section again. In these pictures I have closed the "Attributes" section.

Second, you can drag sections to other parts of the document. Put your mouse on the heading name, click and hold down your mouse button, and drag the section up or down in the document. In these pictures I am dragging the "Trackable Items" section so it is now above the "Attributes" section.

Lastly, you can also utilize the "Print Preview" feature of your browser to scale the output, or selectively print only the first page when the 2nd page only contains a line or two.

The PDF option is most likely not coming back, but by using the features demonstrated above, you should be able to get a printed page to your liking. If not, please provide constructive ideas on how to improve the page. Just saying "I don't like it" isn't helpful. What would make it better?

February 12, 2009

dang!

Edited February 12, 2009 by CacheAddict.com

February 12, 2009

OK, THAT'S AN AWESOME FEATURE!!!!

2k · February 12, 2009

This is a very nice instruction sheet, thanks. I always liked this print version more but didn't know I could do all the things you show.

If you really need a PDF document. Here is a link to a tool I have on my computer Easy PDF It is setup like a printer on your computer but prints to a PDF doc. Very very helpful on a number of levels.

February 12, 2009

Thanks!! This will help a lot - Still bummed about the PDF - I like the layout!

February 12, 2009

This is a very nice instruction sheet, thanks. I always liked this print version more but didn't know I could do all the things you show.

If you really need a PDF document. Here is a link to a tool I have on my computer Easy PDF It is setup like a printer on your computer but prints to a PDF doc. Very very helpful on a number of levels.

Thanks!! This will help a lot - Still bummed about the PDF - I like the layout!

I don't think software like Easy PDF are the answer because the PDFs we had were rather elegent, informative, and compact. The new print option has things too spread out. You shouldn't have to look all the way across the page to see size, difficulty, and terrain. Also the font makes the coordinates take up half the page.

Despite grumbling about loosing the PDF versions, I really like being able to have the map on the cache page. Thanks!

February 13, 2009

Well, I like the new print cache page setup, BUT.............when I go to those pages it crasches IE 6.XXX.

I know.....get version 7 or Firefox....................if I really wanted either one of them I would already have them.

Also............I get the My GPS page and make the selections and it won't let me save them.

Edited February 13, 2009 by hitechman

February 13, 2009

Nice instructions. Cleared up some confusion for me.

It seems we have many choices when we work with our GPS units and our computers. The two most obvious are keep everything just like it is and ignore any possible changes (improvements) that become available because software like browsers and operating systems are updated or adapt to the changes and accept that some features we really like will no longer work in the new environment.

It's a pain to change, but that may be one of the costs of moving forward.

February 13, 2009

The PDF option is most likely not coming back, but by using the features demonstrated above, you should be able to get a printed page to your liking. If not, please provide constructive ideas on how to improve the page.

Thanks for the pointers. I quickly adapted and used the Mac's PDF print option to save a few cache pages of interest. Seems like a positive change.

The one quirk I noticed is that a decrypted hint is missing the line returns which can make it hard to read.

No PDF printing choice was actually the first thing that made me notice that some website changes had occurred. So, I came here to see what was up and found that this was the tip of the iceberg! Looks like I am in for some forum time to sort things out.

February 13, 2009

I use these functions for a long time. Unfortunately it is not longer possible to scale the map, really bad!

February 13, 2009

Now, is it possible to have more than one cache on a page? I'm especially interested because lots of caches have only one small line of text for the description or additional hint. I don't care about a map, that's what I have the GPS for. :-)

February 13, 2009

Now, is it possible to have more than one cache on a page? I'm especially interested because lots of caches have only one small line of text for the description or additional hint. I don't care about a map, that's what I have the GPS for. :-)

Not that I know of but I've found that pages cut and paste to word very well and I can edit page width, font size, etc and fit a lot of caches per page but it still takes time to do.

2k · February 13, 2009

I am surprised the feedback this change has received. What do people use this for? I only use this for puzzles.

Go Paperless!!!

I use to use a PDA with Cache Mate loaded on it. I still have it and will trade it go for 1 geocoin.

I use my phone which can get to wap.geocaching.com. Has alot of fuctions the normal site does including last 5 logs.

I also use Cache Berry on my Black Berry.

February 13, 2009

I am surprised the feedback this change has received. What do people use this for? I only use this for puzzles.

Go Paperless!!!

I use to use a PDA with Cache Mate loaded on it. I still have it and will trade it go for 1 geocoin.

I use my phone which can get to wap.geocaching.com. Has alot of fuctions the normal site does including last 5 logs.

I also use Cache Berry on my Black Berry.

That's great. I'll give you my address so that you can send me the PDA that you apparently plan on buying me.

3.2k · February 14, 2009

This is a very nice instruction sheet, thanks. I always liked this print version more but didn't know I could do all the things you show.

If you really need a PDF document. Here is a link to a tool I have on my computer Easy PDF It is setup like a printer on your computer but prints to a PDF doc. Very very helpful on a number of levels.

Don't all computers do that? :laughing: Oh maybe just MACs....

February 14, 2009

I am surprised the feedback this change has received. What do people use this for? I only use this for puzzles.

Go Paperless!!!

I often save cache pages for historical reference. Still paperless.

For actual caching I'm about 98% paperless. Complicated multi-caches and puzzles that do not translate well to GPX format or to a small screen make up the rest. And sometimes it is just easier to scribble on a piece of paper.

As an aside, my favorite caches are those that require using paper maps. These are rare but are designed as an adventure for the geocaching connoisseur.

February 14, 2009

That's great. I'll give you my address so that you can send me the PDA that you apparently plan on buying me.

You can pick up a PDA to run CacheMate for under $20 on various websites; this has been discussed on the forum many times, of course. At a certain level of caching activity printing cache pages is too cumbersome and expensive. (Note to OP: please excuse this tangent discussion.)

3.2k · February 14, 2009

I use these functions for a long time. Unfortunately it is not longer possible to scale the map, really bad!

Yes the maps are basically worthless. My hidden caches show up as a red pin in a white square. The satellite images are really the only ones I want anyway so I'll still be printing out page 2 most of the time.

5.2k · February 14, 2009

Check the settings in your printer driver. Many have an option to print multiple pages per sheet.

If your printer doesn't do this, you could also try something like FinePrint or similar software that would provide multiple pages per sheet.

February 14, 2009

Check the settings in your printer driver. Many have an option to print multiple pages per sheet.

If your printer doesn't do this, you could also try something like FinePrint or similar software that would provide multiple pages per sheet.

I am trying out FinePrint, I haven't done it yet, but from the video they have on their site, it looks good.

It, in combination with using print previews from Firefox to control input (into FinePrint) will output exactly what I want. Thanks.

February 14, 2009

I'm getting better PDF results using the new print feature and CutePDF Writer than with the previous PDF pages :laughing: I can transfer the pdfs into my phone and zoom right into the Ordnance Survey maps (thanks Greasemonkey!) and stay paperless

Now if only I could get the PDFs into my phone automatically from a PQ GPX...

February 14, 2009

Lastly, you can also utilize the "Print Preview" feature of your browser to scale the output, or selectively print only the first page when the 2nd page only contains a line or two.

Thanks Lil Devil. I noticed that the font and size had changed on the print page. I liked it in the smaller font size it was before and did not know that I could change it. Now I do plus other features!

Thanks again!

Brenda

February 14, 2009

That's great. I'll give you my address so that you can send me the PDA that you apparently plan on buying me.

You can pick up a PDA to run CacheMate for under $20 on various websites; this has been discussed on the forum many times, of course. At a certain level of caching activity printing cache pages is too cumbersome and expensive. (Note to OP: please excuse this tangent discussion.)

Please let me know where you can find a PDA that runs Cachemate that is priced under $20.... thanks!

February 14, 2009

Thanks for the printing tutorial -- very helpful. We will miss the pdf report however, and not because it was a pdf, but because of the one-page format. (Everyone seems to be missing the point on that). The pdf report allowed users to quickly print out a cache sheet of one page without having to take the time to pick and choose what to print and what not to. As to going paperless -- obviously you're not caching with young children. A cache sheet dropped in an inaccessible crevice in a rock pile is no big deal, but a PDA is! We also know of at least one cacher who doesn't use any electronics -- only topo maps and paper!

Future update request: ability for each user to save own preferred printout format so that all cache sheets print the same each time without having to manipulate the report every time.

February 14, 2009

I've never been one to print any pages, just gleen the info and move on. But, I just had to try it and see if it would be a future benefit.

I think it looks great & thanks for the tutorial on making it work.

Yes, this is working up to a problem...... I get nothing above 'short description' on my print preview. Is anyone else having the same problem?

-edit for spelling-

Edited February 14, 2009 by DiamondDaveG

February 14, 2009

Euhm, never used the PDF option, but just the way described above by Lil Devil? grin

I uncheck the info not necessary to find the cache, i also uncheck the map/photos (saves some ink)

When i print i used a pre-installed configuration within my printersetup, it prints fast in grayscale.

With the option to print 2 pages on one page. This way you can fold your printouts like some booklet.

In most cases i use one page for a cache, but with some large multicaches i will get 2 pages.

This works just great!

February 17, 2009

Get Firefox, install the great Arddvark addon - this allows you to remove text and images from the screen

Ie You can remove the bits of the geocaching page you don't want.

Print page using file print.

Here is the link to the Arddvark page. http://karmatics.com/aardvark/

I used this instead of PDF and was able to get cache pages down to one sheet of paper.

I'm now paperless but thought I someone may benefit from this feature.

There are so many good geocaching add ons that all cachers should have firefox in my opinion.

February 27, 2009

As mentioned earlier in this thread the reason most of us (including me) liked the pdf format was it was so simple, just print, everything on one page, no need to do any editing of the info. Just because I can do something doesn't mean I want to. Just one more plug for pdf.

9.2k · February 27, 2009

Thanks for the printing tutorial -- very helpful. We will miss the pdf report however, and not because it was a pdf, but because of the one-page format. (Everyone seems to be missing the point on that). The pdf report allowed users to quickly print out a cache sheet of one page without having to take the time to pick and choose what to print and what not to. As to going paperless -- obviously you're not caching with young children. A cache sheet dropped in an inaccessible crevice in a rock pile is no big deal, but a PDA is! We also know of at least one cacher who doesn't use any electronics -- only topo maps and paper!

Future update request: ability for each user to save own preferred printout format so that all cache sheets print the same each time without having to manipulate the report every time.

Did you see the post about CutePDF? Costs nothing (windows only), and can turn anything you can print into a PDF document. AND it can print multiple pages on a sheet.

Edited February 27, 2009 by Prime Suspect

February 28, 2009

That's great. I'll give you my address so that you can send me the PDA that you apparently plan on buying me.

You can pick up a PDA to run CacheMate for under $20 on various websites; this has been discussed on the forum many times, of course. At a certain level of caching activity printing cache pages is too cumbersome and expensive. (Note to OP: please excuse this tangent discussion.)

Please let me know where you can find a PDA that runs Cachemate that is priced under $20.... thanks!

Well, there are scores of Palm and Pocket PC devices on the used market that will run CacheMate. I am most familiar with Palm OS devices such as the III-series, V-series, m100 and Sony Clie, all of which can be had for $20 or less on the usual online auction sites.

Amusing to see all the posts on printing PDFs. Seeing as how that is the Mac's native format it never occurred to me that printing would be such a hot topic.

2.7k · February 28, 2009

Off the top of my head the only other feature that I would like to see is a way to save a preferred format so that I wouldn't have to set up each page each and every time.

February 28, 2009

Well, there are scores of Palm and Pocket PC devices on the used market that will run CacheMate. I am most familiar with Palm OS devices such as the III-series, V-series, m100 and Sony Clie, all of which can be had for $20 or less on the usual online auction sites.

(I don't know if this is appropriate to ask here or not, but this is an old thread)

Are you certain that the III series will run CacheMate. (I would ask the CacheMate people, but they want me to register on their site before I can ask them anything) I did however see from their website that it requires PalmOS 3.0 and I'm looking at an old Palm IIIc, but I don't know what version of the OS it runs.

5.3k · February 28, 2009

a few people have complained because they thought the PDF option was better than the remaining option for printing cache pages. I think this is mostly because these people are not utilizing the cache printing page to it's fullest potential.

Sorry, LD, but you are just wrong here. The entire design concept behind HTML is to separate the content from the presentation; this change does exactly the opposite.

The PDF option is most likely not coming back, but by using the features demonstrated above, you should be able to get a printed page to your liking. If not, please provide constructive ideas on how to improve the page. Just saying "I don't like it" isn't helpful. What would make it better?

Let's take an example: I set the minimum Firefox font size to 16 so that I can read pages on my monitor. Unfortunately, that also sets the minimum printed font size to 16 as well, which is way too large. This is arguably a problem with Firefox, but none of your options fix it.

A second problem is pagination. Again, no problem with a PDF, but no such luck with a browser. Page breaks occur, but there is no guarantee that they will be in the right places.

Personally, I never really used the PDF pages, so I am not terribly upset that they are gone. But I do take some exception to the idea that you can get the same result from HTML pages, because that is just plain not true.

7.7k · February 28, 2009

Are you certain that the III series will run CacheMate. (I would ask the CacheMate people, but they want me to register on their site before I can ask them anything) I did however see from their website that it requires PalmOS 3.0 and I'm looking at an old Palm IIIc, but I don't know what version of the OS it runs.

I know that the Palm V runs Cachemate. It originally came with PalmOS 3.x and I upgraded it to 4.x. I'll tell you what x is but it's not with me right now, and since 3.0 is supported it doesn't really matter.

As for IIIc, it comes with PalmOS 3.5 if it has not been upgraded.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_III

The only thing you should be worried about is the serial interface. It's both slow and not widely supported these days. You might need a USB to serial adapter, and it can be tiresome finding one that works on your system.

Sorry for the off-topic. Anyway I've always used the cache printing page whenever I print, didn't like the PDF output. Usually it is to distribute to a few people for group caching. I'd print a set of caches to PDF, then put them into one document, and distribute that together with maps of the area and such. Rest of the time I either view them on my computer, on my Nuvi or on my Palm.

The only thing I'd ask for is that when a section is turned off, the line does not appear at all. Maybe have three positions for each section : show all, show only section name, and do not show anything? How about also a default setting for what is turned on and off?

2.8k · February 28, 2009

Well, there are scores of Palm and Pocket PC devices on the used market that will run CacheMate. I am most familiar with Palm OS devices such as the III-series, V-series, m100 and Sony Clie, all of which can be had for $20 or less on the usual online auction sites.

(I don't know if this is appropriate to ask here or not, but this is an old thread)

Are you certain that the III series will run CacheMate. (I would ask the CacheMate people, but they want me to register on their site before I can ask them anything) I did however see from their website that it requires PalmOS 3.0 and I'm looking at an old Palm IIIc, but I don't know what version of the OS it runs.

Yes they will. I had a IIIxe and it worked just fine for me.

March 1, 2009

I am surprised the feedback this change has received. What do people use this for? I only use this for puzzles.

Go Paperless!!!

I use to use a PDA with Cache Mate loaded on it. I still have it and will trade it go for 1 geocoin.

I use my phone which can get to wap.geocaching.com. Has alot of fuctions the normal site does including last 5 logs.

I also use Cache Berry on my Black Berry.

That's great. I'll give you my address so that you can send me the PDA that you apparently plan on buying me.

I'll send my address and my sister-in-laws, too. In this economy a gift is the only way we will be getting a

Black Berry!

5.2k · March 1, 2009

Let's take an example: I set the minimum Firefox font size to 16 so that I can read pages on my monitor. Unfortunately, that also sets the minimum printed font size to 16 as well, which is way too large. This is arguably a problem with Firefox, but none of your options fix it.

After you open the simple print page, press ctrl and the minus key a few times to get a smaller font size. After you're done printing, press ctrl-zero to get back to your default font size.

A second problem is pagination. Again, no problem with a PDF, but no such luck with a browser. Page breaks occur, but there is no guarantee that they will be in the right places.

As I explained before, use the Print Preview option of your browser and adjust the scale until you get everything down to one (or two) pages. You can even set it to "shrink to fit" and you'll always get one page.

March 1, 2009

With the pdf option just had to click print. So simple.

4.1k · April 9, 2009

We just added a new Knowledgebase article >> Geocaching >> Site Functionality >> Printer-Friendly Pages.

Gee, I wonder where that idea came from?

Thank you, Lil Devil!

How to get the most from the cache printing page

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