With that enticing bon mot, tools developers Print What You Like (PWYL) introduce a simple tool called PageZipper. This unique tool quickly and simply merges the contents of multipage articles into a single page for quick reading/skimming (ad-supported sites are notorious for breaking up their content to increase pageviews). PWYL's summary of PageZipper says it best:
Ever read one of those top ten lists or photo galleries where every item is on a different page? You spend more time clicking "Next" and waiting than actually reading anything. PageZipper is a free bookmarklet which automatically merges all the "Next" pages into one, so you can skip directly to the stuff you want.
Using PageZipper couldn't be simpler.
- Make sure your Favorites/Bookmarks bar is visible. If it's not, select View > Show Bookmarks Bar (Safari), View > Toolbars > Links (Internet Explorer...and make sure your Links bar is unlocked), or View > Toolbars > Bookmarks Toolbar (Firefox).
- Surf to the main PageZipper page, located the PageZipper bookmarklet under "To Install," and drag it to your Bookmarks/Favorites bar.
- Next time you hit a Web piece that's divided into multiple pages, just click the PageZipper bookmarklet, and keep scrolling down. PageZipper will automatically locate the "Next" link and append the material from that link to the bottom of the current page.
For Firefox users, PageZipper is also available as an extension.
PageZipper also helps with large image galleries. Ctrl-Up Arrow and Ctrl-Down Arrow page through a gallery's images (provided you have Spaces disabled...otherwise, Spaces seems to override those keys). If you encounter an image library too large for your current browser window, PageZipper automaticaly resizes the images to fit. No scrolling required.
This video will give you a good idea of PageZipper in action.
As with most software, there are a couple of caveats. Some sites have "Next" links that PageZipper doesn't understand. PWYL requests that you send them such links, and they'll continue to refine PageZipper's abilities. PageZipper also doesn't work on sites that use JavaScript in place of standard HTML links.
The usual warning: PageZipper is not officially supported or sanctioned by ITS. If it doesn't work for you, we'll give it our best shot, but we can't guarantee its functionality.
