print-stylesheet-tests

Per MDN Paged Media (opens in new window), CSS Paged Media defines @page rules and break-control properties for print output. Per the Playwright page.pdf docs (opens in new window), page.pdf() "generates PDFs using print CSS media by default" - call emulateMedia first if you want screen styles applied to PDF instead.

When to use

• App has a Print button or generates PDFs from Chromium.
• Print stylesheet exists but isn't tested - silent regressions cause customer complaints "the printed copy looks broken".
• Pre-deploy gate: page breaks fall in the right places, headers don't get orphaned at page bottom.

How to use

1. Load the printable page in Playwright and call page.emulateMedia({ media: 'print' }) to activate the print stylesheet.
2. Assert screen-only chrome (nav, buttons) is hidden and print-only content (legal footers) is visible under print media.
3. Generate the PDF with page.pdf(), passing preferCSSPageSize: true when CSS @page owns the page size.
4. Assert page count for representative fixtures (standard invoice = 1 page, long invoice = 2) to catch overflow regressions.
5. Extract text per page to prove break-before / break-inside rules land chapter and section boundaries correctly.
6. Set printBackground: true when branded headers or color fills must appear in the customer-facing PDF.
7. For letterhead margins and per-page geometry, pair with pdf-snapshot-tester on the rendered page - see references/page-geometry.md.

Step 1 - Test @media print selectors activate

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test('navigation hidden when printing', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://localhost:3000/invoice/inv_001');

  // Default media = screen → nav visible
  await expect(page.locator('nav.app-nav')).toBeVisible();

  // Switch to print
  await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'print' });
  await expect(page.locator('nav.app-nav')).toBeHidden();
});

emulateMedia activates @media print rules per MDN Paged Media (opens in new window).

Step 2 - Test print-only content appears

test('print-only legal footer appears under print media', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://localhost:3000/invoice/inv_001');
  await expect(page.locator('.print-only-legal')).toBeHidden();

  await page.emulateMedia({ media: 'print' });
  await expect(page.locator('.print-only-legal')).toBeVisible();
});

Step 3 - Generate PDF + verify @page size honored

test('PDF respects @page size: A4', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://localhost:3000/invoice/inv_001');

  const pdf = await page.pdf({
    preferCSSPageSize: true,
  });

  // Use a PDF inspector lib or pair with pdf-snapshot-tester
  const dimensions = await getPdfDimensions(pdf);
  expect(dimensions.format).toBe('A4');
});

Per the Playwright page.pdf docs (opens in new window): preferCSSPageSize: true lets CSS @page { size: A4 } win over the API format option. Without it, API wins.

Step 4 - Test page count

test('invoice fits on 1 page when standard line count', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://localhost:3000/invoice/standard');
  const pdf = await page.pdf({ format: 'A4' });
  const pageCount = await getPdfPageCount(pdf);
  expect(pageCount).toBe(1);
});

test('invoice spills to 2 pages when many line items', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://localhost:3000/invoice/long');
  const pdf = await page.pdf({ format: 'A4' });
  const pageCount = await getPdfPageCount(pdf);
  expect(pageCount).toBe(2);
});

Page count regressions ("invoice now needs 3 pages instead of 1") are the canonical print bug.

Step 5 - Test break-before / break-after / break-inside

CSS:

@media print {
  h1.chapter { break-before: page; }
  table.totals { break-inside: avoid; }
  p { orphans: 3; widows: 3; }
}

Test that the chapter break shows up:

test('each chapter starts on new page', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://localhost:3000/manual');
  const pdf = await page.pdf({ format: 'A4' });
  const pageTexts = await extractTextPerPage(pdf);

  // Chapter 1 on page 1, Chapter 2 on page 2, ...
  expect(pageTexts[0]).toContain('Chapter 1');
  expect(pageTexts[1]).toContain('Chapter 2');
});

Step 6 - printBackground for branded headers

By default printBackground: false - backgrounds (gradients, images) don't render. Customer-facing PDFs usually need printBackground: true:

test('branded header background appears', async ({ page }) => {
  await page.goto('https://localhost:3000/branded-letter');
  const pdf = await page.pdf({
    printBackground: true,
    format: 'A4',
  });
  const page1 = await renderPdfPage(pdf, 1);
  expect(await hasBrandColorAtTop(page1)).toBe(true);
});

Per the Playwright page.pdf docs (opens in new window): printBackground defaults false.

Advanced @page geometry

@page :first / :left / :right pseudo-class targeting and margin verification (including the CSS-vs-API margin precedence rule) are covered in references/page-geometry.md.

Worked example

Customers report a redesigned invoice prints with the totals table split across two pages, though it looks fine on screen.

1. Point a Playwright test at /invoice/long and generate the PDF with page.pdf({ format: 'A4' }).
2. getPdfPageCount(pdf) returns 3; the pre-redesign baseline test asserted toBe(2), so the count assertion fails and pins the regression.
3. extractTextPerPage(pdf) shows the table.totals rows straddling the page 2 / page 3 boundary - the redesign dropped break-inside: avoid.
4. Re-add @media print { table.totals { break-inside: avoid; } } to the stylesheet.
5. Re-run: getPdfPageCount returns 2 and the totals text sits wholly on page 2, so both the page-count and per-page-text assertions pass.

Anti-patterns

Limitations

• Playwright PDF generation uses Chromium's print path; WeasyPrint and wkhtmltopdf produce different output for the same HTML+CSS. Test the engine you actually ship with.
• @page marks and bleeds descriptors per MDN Paged Media (opens in new window) have limited browser support.
• Some advanced @page features (running headers, generated content in page margins) are well-supported in WeasyPrint but limited in Chromium.

References

• MDN Paged Media (opens in new window) - @page, page pseudo-classes, break properties
• Playwright page.pdf docs (opens in new window) - options, default print media, preferCSSPageSize, printBackground
• references/page-geometry.md - @page pseudo-classes and margin verification
• pdf-snapshot-tester - sister skill for pixel-diff assertions on rendered PDF pages
• html-to-pdf-regression - cross-engine HTML→PDF comparison