Comment 5 for bug 171741

I'd also like to request this feature, because it is extremely useful for layer based "guide" objects, hints and remarks.
I suggest to do it like CorelDraw does:

In CorelDraw (X3), the "Object Manager" dockable has three options for each layer: "Visible" (eye symbol), "Printable" (printer symbol), and "Editable" (pen symbol). Any layer that has the "printable" option disabled will only be shown on screen (unless "visible" is disabled), but NOT in the printout.

In Inkscape (0.47), the "Layers" dockable has quite similar options for "visible" (eye symbol) and "locked" (lock symbol, equals "editable" in Corel) options. So I suggest to add a "printable" option here just like in CorelDraw.

In reply to comment #1: Yes, hiding a layer will also prevent it from being printed in Inkscape, but it is much more convenient to be able to retain on-screen visibility for "guide-type" auxiliary layers instead of having to switch them to invisible before each printing and making them visible again after each printing.