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Harlin Seritt
Harlin Seritt

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Understanding CSS Media Types: Making Your Website Look Good on Different Devices

When you design a website, you want it to look nice and work well, whether people are viewing it on a computer, phone, or even if they're printing it out. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) helps with this, and one important part of CSS is something called "media types."

What Are CSS Media Types?

In the world of websites, not all screens are the same. There are big computer screens, small phone screens, and even printers. Each of these devices is different, and that's where media types come in.

  • "screen" Media Type: For Devices with Screens

The most common media type is "screen." This one is all about making your website look good on screens, like computers and phones. When you design a website, you mainly focus on this media type because that's where people see your website visually.

By using "screen" media type, you can make sure your website adjusts to different screen sizes and shapes. This way, your website will look great and work properly, no matter what device someone is using.

  • "print" Media Type: Getting Ready for Printing

Sometimes people want to print web pages. That's where the "print" media type comes in handy. It's like making a special version of your website that's easy to print. This ensures that when someone prints your web page, it looks neat and is easy to read on paper.

  • "speech" Media Type: Helping Those Who Can't See the Screen

Accessibility is important in web design. The "speech" media type helps people who can't see the screen. It's for those who use special tools that read web content out loud. By using this media type, you can tell these tools how to read your content, making it easier for everyone to understand.

Why Media Types Are Important

Media types are like tools that help you make sure your website works well for everyone. Here's why they matter:

Better for Everyone: When you use media types, your website works nicely on all sorts of devices. This makes more people happy when they visit your site.

Easy to Print: The "print" media type helps people get good printouts of your web content.

Accessible: "Speech" media type makes sure everyone, including those with disabilities, can access your content.

Knowing how to use CSS media types is a big deal in web design. It helps you create a website that looks good and works well on different devices. It's not just about making it pretty; it's about making sure your website reaches as many people as possible in a friendly way.

So, in the world of web design, don't forget about media types. They're like a superpower that makes your website awesome for everyone.

Top comments (4)

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ludamillion profile image
Luke Inglis • Edited

It's important to note that media CSS media types are being de-emphasized in general with all but all, print, and screen being deprecated in the Media Queries Level 4 candidate draft. The goal is to fully deprecate media types in general. The current recommendation is to use the finer grained media features instead.

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hseritt profile image
Harlin Seritt

Thanks for the heads up Luke!

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sharmi2020 profile image
Sharmila kannan

Nice

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hseritt profile image
Harlin Seritt

Thank you Sharmila!