To capture a mobile website after its typography and images are ready, use a browser automation tool such as Playwright: configure a mobile viewport or device profile, wait for the page content you need, await document.fonts.ready, trigger lazy-loaded images if the capture extends below the fold, verify relevant images have loaded, and then take the screenshot. Navigation completion alone—and especially a quiet network—does not prove the page is visually ready.
Capture a mobile screenshot with Playwright
This example uses a fixed mobile viewport and captures the visible screen. Replace the URL and readiness selector with values appropriate to the site. Install Playwright and its browser before running the script; the code uses its Chromium browser.
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const { chromium } = require('playwright');
(async () => {
const browser = await chromium.launch();
const context = await browser.newContext({
viewport: { width: 390, height: 844 },
deviceScaleFactor: 2,
isMobile: true,
hasTouch: true
});
const page = await context.newPage();
try {
await page.goto('https://example.com', {
waitUntil: 'load',
timeout: 30000
});
// Replace this with a meaningful element or ready signal on your page.
await page.locator('main').waitFor({ state: 'visible', timeout: 15000 });
await page.evaluate(async () => {
await document.fonts.ready;
// This checks images in the current document. Failed images resolve too,
// rather than leaving the capture waiting forever.
const images = [...document.images];
await Promise.all(images.map(async image => {
if (!image.complete) {
await new Promise(resolve => {
image.addEventListener('load', resolve, { once: true });
image.addEventListener('error', resolve, { once: true });
});
}
if (image.complete && image.naturalWidth > 0 && image.decode) {
try { await image.decode(); } catch {}
}
}));
});
await page.screenshot({ path: 'mobile.png' });
} finally {
await browser.close();
}
})();The script waits for fonts used by the document, then checks all images present in the document at that point. It does not treat failed image loads as successes: errors stop the wait, and the naturalWidth check prevents decoding an unsuccessful image. For production captures, you may want to record or fail on broken images rather than simply proceed. Set a bounded timeout around readiness work as well as navigation so a broken page cannot hang a job indefinitely.
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Use a named device profile when its traits matter
An explicit viewport gives predictable CSS dimensions. If the page depends on a particular phone’s viewport, user agent, or touch behavior, use a Playwright device profile instead. The profile supplies emulation settings; check and override its viewport as needed for the dimensions you intend to capture. See Playwright’s device emulation documentation.
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Choose the screenshot scope and pixel scale
page.screenshot() captures the viewport by default. Use fullPage: true for the full scrollable page, or locate an element and call its screenshot method for a component. Playwright’s scale option controls whether output is based on CSS pixels or device pixels; a higher pixel count can increase image dimensions and file size. See the Playwright Page API for the current options.
// Full page:
await page.screenshot({ path: 'full-page.png', fullPage: true });
// One element:
await page.locator('article').screenshot({ path: 'article.png' });Wait for the right things, not just navigation
Navigation milestones
Playwright supports commit, domcontentloaded, load, and networkidle navigation milestones. load is a useful starting point for ordinary page assets, but a single-page app can render important content later. DOMContentLoaded happens earlier and is even less likely to reflect the final visual state. Wait for an application-specific element or ready signal after navigation.
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Playwright defines networkidle as no network connections for at least 500 ms and discourages it as a general testing readiness condition. A quiet network does not establish that the right content appeared or that deferred images were requested. Use targeted assertions for the content in the screenshot rather than treating network activity as a universal ready signal. See Playwright’s Page API.
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Await document.fonts.ready in the page context when final typography matters. This is separate from waiting for navigation: it gives fonts used by the document a chance to finish loading before capture. It does not prove that an application will not subsequently insert new text or change styles, so perform the font check after the content you intend to capture is present.
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Images and lazy loading
The image check in the example waits for each current img element to complete, and attempts decode() for successfully loaded images where supported. If the page inserts images after that check, wait for the relevant application state and check again. Background images in CSS are not included in document.images; if they matter, use a page-specific readiness signal or inspect the relevant elements and styles.
For full-page captures, scrolling may be necessary before checking. Images marked for lazy loading can be deferred until they are in or near the viewport, so an image below the initial mobile screen may not have started loading. Scroll through the areas to be captured, allow loading to begin, then perform the image readiness check. The web.dev guidance on responsive images and lazy loading describes this near-viewport behavior.
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// Trigger lazy-loaded content through the page before checking images.
await page.evaluate(async () => {
const step = Math.max(1, Math.floor(window.innerHeight * 0.8));
for (let y = 0; y < document.documentElement.scrollHeight; y += step) {
window.scrollTo(0, y);
await new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, 100));
}
window.scrollTo(0, 0);
});
// Run the font and image readiness check after this, then capture.The short pause in this scrolling example is only an opportunity for lazy loading to start; it is not proof that every image loaded. Follow it with the image check, and use a site-specific signal if the page has more complex loading behavior.
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Do-it-yourself options and trade-offs
| Decision | Choose this | When it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Automation library | Playwright or Puppeteer | Both provide programmatic page screenshots. Playwright’s cited documentation also covers mobile emulation and visual snapshot assertions. Puppeteer’s screenshot guide demonstrates navigation with networkidle2; that example is a workflow, not a guarantee that application content is ready. |
| Capture area | Viewport, element, or full page | Use viewport for the phone-screen view, an element for a component, and full page for below-the-fold content. |
| Mobile setup | Device profile or explicit viewport | A profile can set dimensions and other mobile traits; an explicit viewport gives direct control over CSS dimensions. |
| Readiness | Navigation event plus targeted checks | Wait for meaningful page content, fonts, and relevant images. Network activity alone is not a universal visual-ready signal. |
| Output scale | CSS pixels or device pixels | Pixel scale affects output dimensions and file size. |
| Repeatability | Consistent browser and platform | For visual comparisons, keep browser, OS, fonts, and related rendering conditions consistent. |
Puppeteer’s screenshot API is another option; consult its screenshot guide. Neither library’s navigation milestone replaces checks for the actual content and assets your capture requires.
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Make captures reliable and useful
- Wait on what the image must show. A visible page shell is not enough if the screenshot depends on a chart, product image, or client-rendered section. Wait for that specific element or application signal.
- Bound every wait. Use finite navigation and locator timeouts, and ensure custom asset waits also have a timeout in production. Decide whether a missing asset should fail the job, be logged, or be acceptable for your use case.
- Match the intended mobile conditions. Choose a device profile or explicit CSS viewport deliberately; mobile viewport behavior can depend on the viewport meta tag and emulation settings.
- Keep visual test conditions stable. Browser and platform rendering, installed fonts, and host environment can change pixels. Playwright notes that browser rendering can vary between browsers and platforms. Its visual comparison assertions wait for two consecutive screenshots to match before comparing; see Playwright’s visual comparisons documentation.
- Budget for full-page work. Full-page captures can require scrolling and waiting for more assets than a viewport capture. Higher device-pixel output can also create larger files. Select only the scope and scale the task needs.
Troubleshoot missing or inconsistent content
Fonts still look wrong
- Confirm the content and styles are present before awaiting
document.fonts.ready. - Check whether the requested font loaded successfully; font readiness does not make an unavailable font available.
- Keep the browser and operating-system environment consistent if the screenshot is a visual-test baseline.
Images are missing from a full-page screenshot
- Scroll the capture regions into or near view to trigger lazy loading, then check image completion.
- Distinguish a completed failure from a successful load with
naturalWidth; decide whether failed assets should invalidate the capture. - If the visual is a CSS background or an image inserted later by the app, add a page-specific check instead of relying only on
document.images.
The screenshot is blank or shows a loading shell
- Wait for the specific application content, not just
loadorDOMContentLoaded. - Check that the selected locator exists and becomes visible at the emulated viewport size.
- Use bounded waits and surface timeout details so a genuinely failed page is distinguishable from a slow one.
Repeated screenshots differ
- Pin the browser and operating-system environment and use the same fonts and viewport settings.
- Wait for changing content or animations to settle with a page-specific condition; a quiet network alone does not ensure pixel stability.
- Use Playwright’s screenshot comparison workflow when the goal is visual regression testing rather than a one-off image.
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Can waiting for images reveal a broken image?
Yes. Check naturalWidth after completion; a value of zero indicates the image did not load successfully.
Can I capture only one mobile component instead of the whole page?
Yes. Use a locator for the component and call its screenshot method after its content and assets are ready.
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