Print stylesheet organization in SASS - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Print Stylesheet Organization with Sass

📖 Scenario: You are creating a website that looks great on screen and also prints nicely on paper. To do this, you will organize your Sass code to separate screen styles from print styles. This helps keep your styles clean and easy to manage.

🎯 Goal: Build a Sass file that defines screen styles and print styles separately using @media queries. You will create variables for colors, write styles for the body and headings for screen, then add print-specific styles that hide navigation and change text color for printing.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a Sass variable $primary-color with the value #3498db.

Write styles for body and h1 for screen display using @media screen.

Write print-specific styles inside @media print that hide nav and set body text color to black.

Organize the Sass code clearly separating screen and print styles.

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Websites often need to look good on screen and print well on paper. Organizing styles with media queries helps maintain clean code and better user experience.

💼 Career

Front-end developers must write maintainable CSS/Sass that supports multiple devices and media, including print. This skill is essential for professional web development.

1

Create a Sass variable for the primary color

Create a Sass variable called $primary-color and set it to #3498db.

SASS

# Your code here

Hint

Use the syntax $variable-name: value; to create a variable in Sass.

2

Add screen styles using @media screen

Write a @media screen block. Inside it, style the body with font-family: Arial, sans-serif; and set the h1 color to $primary-color.

SASS

$primary-color: #3498db;

// Your code here

Hint

Use @media screen { ... } to target screen styles.

3

Add print styles using @media print

Write a @media print block. Inside it, hide the nav element by setting display: none; and set the body text color to black.

SASS

$primary-color: #3498db;

@media screen {
  body {
    font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
  }
  h1 {
    color: $primary-color;
  }
}

// Your code here

Hint

Use @media print { ... } to write styles that apply only when printing.

4

Organize and finalize the print stylesheet

Ensure your Sass code clearly separates screen and print styles by having two distinct @media blocks: one for screen and one for print. Confirm the variable $primary-color is declared at the top.

SASS

$primary-color: #3498db;

@media screen {
  body {
    font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
  }
  h1 {
    color: $primary-color;
  }
}

@media print {
  nav {
    display: none;
  }
  body {
    color: black;
  }
}

// Review your code for clear organization

Hint

Check that your variable is at the top and that screen and print styles are in separate @media blocks.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a print stylesheet in web development?

easy

A. To make the webpage look good when printed on paper

B. To add animations to the webpage

C. To improve website loading speed

D. To change the webpage's background color on screen

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what print stylesheets do

   Print stylesheets adjust the webpage's appearance specifically for printing on paper.

2. Step 2: Compare options to the purpose

   Only To make the webpage look good when printed on paper matches the purpose of print stylesheets, which is to make pages look good on paper.

3. Final Answer:

   To make the webpage look good when printed on paper -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Print stylesheets = good print appearance [OK]

Hint: Print stylesheets improve printed page look, not screen effects [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing print stylesheets with screen stylesheets
• Thinking print stylesheets add animations
• Assuming print stylesheets speed up loading

2. Which of the following is the correct way to write a print media query in Sass?

easy

A. @media print { body { font-size: 12pt; } }

B. @media screen { body { color: black; } }

C. @media all { body { background: white; } }

D. @media handheld { body { font-weight: bold; } }

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the print media query syntax

   The correct syntax for print styles is @media print { ... }.

2. Step 2: Match the option with print media query

   @media print { body { font-size: 12pt; } } uses @media print correctly with a style inside.

3. Final Answer:

   @media print { body { font-size: 12pt; } } -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Print media query syntax = @media print [OK]

Hint: Use '@media print' to target print styles in Sass [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using '@media screen' instead of '@media print'
• Forgetting curly braces after '@media print'
• Using unsupported media types like 'handheld'

3. Given this Sass code, what will be the font size of paragraphs when printed?

@media print {
  p {
    font-size: 14pt;
  }
}
p {
  font-size: 16px;
}

medium

A. 14px

B. 16px

C. 16pt

D. 14pt

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand media query effect on print

   The @media print block applies only when printing, overriding other styles.

2. Step 2: Compare font sizes inside and outside print query

   Outside print, paragraphs have 16px font size; inside print, 14pt is set, which applies when printing.

3. Final Answer:

   14pt -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Print font size = 14pt [OK]

Hint: Print styles override screen styles inside '@media print' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing px and pt units
• Ignoring media query overrides
• Assuming screen styles apply when printing

4. Identify the error in this Sass print stylesheet code:

@media print {
  .hide-on-print {
    display: none
  }
}

medium

A. Cannot use 'display: none' in print styles

B. Wrong media type, should be '@media screen'

C. Missing semicolon after 'display: none'

D. Class selector should start with '#' instead of '.'

Solution

1. Step 1: Check CSS syntax inside '@media print'

   Every CSS property must end with a semicolon; here, 'display: none' misses it.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   Media type '@media print' is correct, class selectors use '.', and 'display: none' is valid in print styles.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing semicolon after 'display: none' -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   CSS properties need semicolons [OK]

Hint: Always end CSS declarations with semicolons [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting semicolons in CSS blocks
• Confusing class selectors with ID selectors
• Using wrong media types for print styles

5. You want to hide navigation menus and change font size only when printing. Which Sass structure correctly organizes these print styles?

hard

A. nav { display: none; }
body { font-size: 12pt; }

B. @media print {
nav { display: none; }
body { font-size: 12pt; }
}

C. @media screen {
nav { display: none; }
body { font-size: 12pt; }
}

D. @media print {
nav { font-size: 12pt; }
body { display: none; }
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct media query for print styles

   Print styles must be inside @media print { ... } to apply only when printing.

2. Step 2: Check style rules for hiding nav and changing font size

   @media print { nav { display: none; } body { font-size: 12pt; } } hides nav with display: none; and sets font size on body inside print media query, which is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   @media print { nav { display: none; } body { font-size: 12pt; } } -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Print styles inside '@media print' with correct selectors [OK]

Hint: Group all print styles inside '@media print' block [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Placing print styles outside '@media print'
• Using '@media screen' instead of print
• Mixing display and font-size on wrong selectors