How to save a webpage as PDF in Firefox and keep background colors

To save a webpage as a PDF in Firefox and keep its background colors, open the page’s print preview, choose Save to PDF as the destination, expand More settings, and turn on Print backgrounds. If Firefox offers a Format setting, choose Original: Simplified disables the background-printing option.

Save the page with its background colors

1. Open the webpage you want to save.
2. Open the Firefox menu and select Print… to open print preview.
3. In Destination, select Save to PDF.
4. Expand More settings and enable Print backgrounds.
5. If a Format control appears, leave it on Original, not Simplified.
6. Review the preview. When it looks right, select Print and choose where to save the PDF.

Mozilla documents Save to PDF as a print destination and Print backgrounds as a setting under More settings. Its help page notes that choosing Simplified prevents selecting Print backgrounds. Control placement and wording can vary by platform or Firefox release.

Check the print preview before saving

Print preview is the best way to see what the PDF will contain. Confirm that colored sections, background images, and text are visible before saving. If a background is missing, check that Print backgrounds is enabled and that the format is set to Original.

Even with that option enabled, a PDF may not look exactly like the page on screen. Websites can use print-specific styles, and browser print behavior or preferences can alter how colors appear. CSS’s print-color-adjust property can request more faithful color rendering, but it cannot override a user’s print-dialog preference not to print backgrounds. See MDN’s guide to color and print adjustments in CSS.

Troubleshooting

What you see	Likely cause	What to do
Background colors are missing from the PDF	Print backgrounds is off, or the page’s print styles omit backgrounds.	Open More settings and enable Print backgrounds. Check the preview. If the option is unavailable, set Format to Original.
The background option is unavailable	Format is set to Simplified.	Change Format to Original, then enable Print backgrounds.
The PDF differs from the page on screen	The website may apply print-specific styles, or print settings may change color rendering.	Inspect the preview. The print output may differ by design; enabling backgrounds does not force every site to reproduce its screen appearance.
Some images or sections are absent	The site’s print layout may hide or rearrange content.	Check all preview pages and look for a print or export option on the website if its layout does not suit printing.

Reliability and cost

Firefox’s built-in print workflow is a direct way to save a page as a PDF and does not require a separate PDF service. The output depends on the site’s print layout and Firefox’s print settings, so preview important documents before relying on them. If exact screen appearance matters, remember that print-specific CSS can change the result.

Or skip the browser setup

ScreenshotNeo can capture a webpage as a PDF through its screenshot API. See the API documentation. For a basic capture, request the page URL and PDF output:

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" \\
  -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY \\
  --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com \\
  -d format=pdf \\
  -o page.pdf

Cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets are removed before capture. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed; response headers report the page verdict and billing status. An MCP server lets AI agents use the screenshot tools. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Every feature is on every plan.

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FAQ

Does “Print backgrounds” guarantee the PDF will match the screen?

No. It enables background printing, but the site’s print styles and browser behavior can still change the page’s appearance.

Should I use Original or Simplified format?

Use Original when you need the background-printing control. Mozilla says Simplified disables Print backgrounds.

Where can I find the official Firefox instructions?

See Mozilla Support’s guide to printing web pages in Firefox.