Printing Documents

By the Syncfusion DevTutorials team · Last updated

Check pages in print preview, choose print settings and page ranges, and pick the right printer, or save as PDF.

Even in a digital world, plenty of documents still end up on paper: forms, letters, handouts, and reports for meetings. Printing well means checking the pages first, choosing the right settings, and printing only what you need. In this lesson, you'll use print preview, print settings, print ranges, and printer selection.

Open the Word sandbox and follow along.

Opening Print

The way you open Print depends on where you're working:

  • In the sandbox: click Print in the title bar, or open the File menu and choose Print. Your browser's print window opens.
  • In Microsoft Word: press Ctrl + P, or go to File > Print. The print screen shows the settings on the left and a preview on the right.

The sandbox runs in your browser, so it uses your browser's print window. The settings have slightly different names from Microsoft Word, but they do the same jobs: preview, printer, pages, copies, and layout.

Print preview

Once the print window is open, the first thing to check is the preview. Print preview shows exactly how each page will look on paper, before you use any ink or paper. Always check it:

  • Do any pages have only one or two lines on them?
  • Is a table or picture split awkwardly across two pages?
  • Are headers, footers, and page numbers where you expect?
  • Does the last page have anything on it at all?

Step through the pages with the arrows or by scrolling. If something's wrong, close the print window, fix it in the document (Chapters 3 and 5 have the tools), and preview again.

Print Layout view (Lesson 15) already shows the pages much as they'll print. Use it while you work, and use print preview as the final check right before printing.

Print settings

If the preview looks good, the settings tell the printer what to do. Here are the main settings in the print window:

SettingWhat it does
CopiesHow many copies to print
OrientationPortrait or landscape. It should match the document's page setup.
Paper sizeLetter, A4, and so on. It should match the paper in the printer.
Print on both sidesPrints on the front and back of each sheet (if the printer supports it)
ColorColor, or black and white to save ink
Pages per sheetPrints 2 or 4 pages shrunk onto one sheet, handy for drafts
CollatedWith several copies, prints each full set in order (1, 2, 3, then 1, 2, 3)

Print range

You don't always need every page. The print range chooses which pages to print:

  • All pages: the whole document.
  • Current page: just the page the cursor is on (Microsoft Word).

  • Custom range: type the page numbers, for example:

    • 3 prints only page 3.
    • 2-5 prints pages 2, 3, 4, and 5.
    • 1, 3, 6 prints pages 1, 3, and 6.
    • 1-2, 7 prints pages 1, 2, and 7.

Printing only the pages you changed saves paper, ink, and time. Fixed a typo on page 7 of a 20-page report? Print page 7, not all 20.

Printer selection

The last choice is where the pages go. At the top of the print window, choose the printer (in a browser it's called the Destination):

  • Pick the printer by name, for example the one in your office or at home.
  • Choose Save as PDF or Microsoft Print to PDF to make a PDF file instead of printing on paper. This is a useful way to share a document that must look the same everywhere.
  • If your printer isn't listed, check that it's switched on and connected, or add it in your computer's settings.

Common mistakes

Here are the most common traps, and how to fix them:

MistakeWhat happensHow to fix it
Skipping print previewA blank last page, or a table split in half, wastes paperPreview first, then fix the layout
Wrong paper sizeText is cut off, or the page is shrunkMatch the paper size in Page Setup and in the print window
Typing a page range wrongly, like 2 5The wrong pages print, or nothingUse a dash for a range (2-5) and commas between pages (1, 3)
Wrong printer selectedThe pages come out somewhere elseCheck the printer name at the top of the print window
Several copies not collatedYou have to sort the pages by handTurn on Collated

Exercise

Now it's time to print something yourself.

Click New in the sandbox title bar. Type Meeting Agenda, press Ctrl + Enter, type Notes, press Ctrl + Enter, and type Action Items. You now have a three-page document. Do each task and press Check (or Mark as done).

What to remember

  • Open Print from the title bar in the sandbox, or with Ctrl + P in Microsoft Word.
  • Always check print preview first.
  • Key settings: copies, orientation, paper size, both sides, color, and collated.
  • Print range: 2-5 for a range, 1, 3, 6 for single pages.
  • Choose the right printer, or Save as PDF to make a file.

In the next lesson, you'll save documents in different formats: Word, PDF, plain text, web pages, and more.