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Understanding CSS page-break-inside for Printed Content
Learn how to use the CSS page-break-inside property to control page breaks within elements for printed content.

Explore available options like 'auto' and 'avoid' to enhance readability.
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Introduction

The page-break-inside CSS property controls page breaks within elements during printing. Though deprecated and replaced by the [break-inside]WebsiteUrl property, many browsers still support it for compatibility. This article explains page-break-inside in detail, including syntax, values, and practical examples.

Description

The page-break-inside CSS property controls page breaks within elements during printing. This helps keep related content together on a single page, improving readability. Although replaced by [break-inside]WebsiteUrl, understanding page-break-inside is useful for maintaining older websites and ensuring compatibility.

Syntax

/* Keyword values */
page-break-inside: auto;
page-break-inside: avoid;
/* Global values */
page-break-inside: inherit;
page-break-inside: initial;
page-break-inside: revert;
page-break-inside: revert-layer;
page-break-inside: unset;

Keyword Values

  • auto: Allows automatic page breaks inside the element.
  • avoid: Prevents page breaks inside the element, keeping the content together on a single page if possible.

Global Values

  • inherit: Inherits the page-break-inside value from the parent element.
  • initial: Resets the property to its default value, auto.
  • revert: Resets the property to its inherited value if it inherits, or to the user agent’s default otherwise.
  • revert-layer: Resets the property to its inherited value from a user-agent stylesheet.
  • unset: Acts as inherit if the property is inherited, or as initial if not.

Page Break Aliases

The page-break-inside property is treated as an alias of break-inside for compatibility:

page-break-inside Valuebreak-inside Value
autoauto
avoidavoid

Formal Definition

The page-break-inside property controls page breaks within block-level elements in the normal flow of the root element.

Propertypage-break-inside
Initial Valueauto
Applies ToBlock-level elements in the normal flow of the root element. User agents may also apply it to other elements like table-row elements.
InheritedNo
Computed ValueAs specified
Animation TypeDiscrete

Formal Syntax

page-break-inside = avoid | auto | inherit

Examples

HTML

<div class="page">
<p>This is the first paragraph.</p>
<section class="list">
<span>A list</span>
<ol>
<li>one</li>
<!-- <li>two</li> -->
</ol>
</section>
<ul>
<li>one</li>
<!-- <li>two</li> -->
</ul>
<p>This is the second paragraph.</p>
<p>This is the third paragraph, it contains more text.</p>
<p>
This is the fourth paragraph. It has a little bit more text than the third one.
</p>
</div>

CSS

.page {
background-color: #8cffa0;
height: 90px;
width: 200px;
columns: 1;
column-width: 100px;
}
.list,
ol,
ul,
p {
break-inside: avoid;
}
p {
background-color: #8ca0ff;
}
ol,
ul,
.list {
margin: 0.5em 0;
display: block;
background-color: orange;
}
p:first-child {
margin-top: 0;
}

Result

The break-inside: avoid; property ensures that elements (.list, ol, ul, and p) are not split across page breaks when printed, keeping related content together.

Avoiding Page Breaks Inside Elements

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>CSS page-break-inside property</title>
<style type="text/css">
@media print {
ul {
page-break-inside: avoid;
}
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Website</h1>
<h2>CSS page-break-inside property</h2>
<br><br><br>
<img src="WebsiteUrl/wp-content/uploads/Website-logo.png" alt="Website Logo"/>
<br><br><br><br>
<p>
Prepare for the Recruitment drive of product based companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Adobe etc with a free online placement preparation course. The course focuses on various MCQ's & Coding question likely to be asked in the interviews & make your upcoming placement season efficient and successful.
</p>
<br><br><br>
<img src="WebsiteUrl/wp-content/uploads/interview-preparation-2.png" alt="Interview Preparation"/>
<ul>
<li>Data Structure</li>
<li>Algorithms</li>
<li>C Programming</li>
<li>C++ Programming</li>
<li>Java Programming</li>
<li>Python Programming</li>
<li>PHP Programming</li>
<li>Operating System</li>
<li>Computer Networks</li>
<li>DBMS</li>
<li>SQL</li>
<li>TOC</li>
</ul>
</body>
</html>

CSS

@media print {
ul {
page-break-inside: avoid;
}
}

Output

When this page is printed, the ul list elements will not be split across pages, ensuring the list appears as a single, coherent block of content.

Avoiding Page Breaks with none

HTML

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>CSS page-break-inside property</title>
<style type="text/css">
@media print {
ul {
page-break-inside: avoid;
}
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Website</h1>
<h2>CSS page-break-inside property</h2>
<br><br><br>
<img src="WebsiteUrl/wp-content/uploads/Website-logo.png" alt="Website Logo"/>
<br><br><br><br>
<p>
Prepare for the Recruitment drive of product based companies like Microsoft, Amazon, Adobe etc with a free online placement preparation course. The course focuses on various MCQ's & Coding question likely to be asked in the interviews & make your upcoming placement season efficient and successful.
</p>
<br><br><br>
<img src="WebsiteUrl/wp-content/uploads/interview-preparation-2.png" alt="Interview Preparation"/>
<ul>
<li>Data Structure</li>
<li>Algorithms</li>
<li>C Programming</li>
<li>C++ Programming</li>
<li>Java Programming</li>
<li>Python Programming</li>
<li>PHP Programming</li>
<li>Operating System</li>
<li>Computer Networks</li>
<li>DBMS</li>
<li>SQL</li>
<li>TOC</li>
</ul>
</body>
</html>

CSS

@media print {
ul {
page-break-inside: avoid;
}
}

Output

When this page is printed, the ul list elements will not be split across pages, ensuring the list appears as a single, coherent block of content.

Specifications

The page-break-inside property is defined in the CSS Paged Media Module Level 3 specification. This module provides rules for controlling the layout of content when printing web pages. You can find the details in the [CSS Paged Media Module Level 3]WebsiteUrl.

Browser Compatibility

The page-break-inside property is supported by a wide range of browsers, including:

  • Google Chrome 1.0
  • Edge 12.0
  • Internet Explorer 8.0
  • Firefox 19.0
  • Safari 1.3
  • Opera 7.0

Tips for Ensuring Compatibility

  1. Test Across Browsers: Always test your web pages across different browsers to ensure that the page-break-inside property is working as expected.
  2. Use Polyfills: If you need to support very old browsers that do not support the page-break-inside property, consider using polyfills to mimic the behavior.
  3. Fallback Solutions: Provide fallback solutions for browsers that do not support the property, ensuring that the content remains readable even if the property is not applied.

See Also

  • [break-before]WebsiteUrl: Controls where page, column, or region breaks occur before an element.
  • [break-after]WebsiteUrl: Controls where page, column, or region breaks occur after an element.
  • [break-inside]WebsiteUrl: Controls how page, column, or region breaks occur inside an element.
  • [page-break-after]WebsiteUrl: Inserts page breaks after an element.
  • [page-break-before]WebsiteUrl: Inserts page breaks before an element.
  • [orphans]WebsiteUrl: Specifies the minimum number of lines of a block container that must be left at the bottom of a page.
  • [widows]WebsiteUrl: Specifies the minimum number of lines of a block container that must be left at the top of a page.
  • [HTML Reference Guide]WebsiteUrl: A comprehensive guide to HTML, including detailed explanations of various elements and attributes.
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