Shrink The Web | Orangeinks

ShrinkTheWeb :Get Dynamic Screen Shot Thumbnails

October 22nd, 2008 | 9 Comments | Posted in Blog Tips

ShrinkTheWeb is a service which focuses on providing users with a simple solution on integrating dynamic website previews to their own websites. Dynamic, meaning that if you choose to place a thumbnail screenshot in your blog or site, that screenshot will update along with the original website it is linked to.

This neat service is free. If you want more features such as full-length page website thumbnail, specific page capture, custom sized thumbnail, refresh on demand and more, you have to sign up for a pro account. While the pro account is packed with features, the free service is not bad either. You can choose from three thumbnail sizes (see image below), get 15,000 requests per month with a limit of 250,000 fetches per month. Not bad for a free deal. Oh, and it works on sub-domains too.

To use the simple method, just copy the HTML code and replace the “yoursite” text with the domain you want to preview. You can customize the thumbnail sized by clicking the customize link. Advanced method is also available in the form of plugins (WordPress, Drupal, vBulletin and PHP Link Directory). You can also get their API code which will allow you to use the service in a more personalized manner, feature-wise. I went for the simple mode and did not get to test the WordPress plugin.