Using Other Print Options

Even if you are not printing duplex pages or a booklet, you should consider some of the other print options that are available. The options vary, of course, depending on the printer you are using. Print options include print quality, paper quality, watermarks, document sizing, color management, and so forth. Many of the options are based on the printer and can be accessed in the Print dialog box. Several other print options can be accessed in Word. Generally, when you apply a Word print option, the Word option will override any options you select in the Print dialog box. To view your printer options:

1. Click the Microsoft Office button and then choose Print. The Print dialog box will display. If more than one printer is available, select the desired printer.
   
   
2. To view the available options for the selected printer, click the Properties button. See the description of some of the common printer options.
   Remember: If you donot want a particular setting to apply to future printing, open the Print dialog box and turn the option off.

   Print to file:
   This feature is useful if the printer is not available. When you choose this option, you are prompted to save the file. To print the file, you must specify an LPT port (USB printers won’t work).
   
   Print quality:
   If you are going to use the printed pages to make multiple copies on a copier, you want high-quality printing. And, if you are printing a resume or a formal invitation or announcement, you will want highquality printing. But if you are printing hard-copy drafts or documents that do not need to impress anyone, you can save ink or toner by choosing draft quality, and you will also save time because your document will print much faster.
   
   Print color:
   You can choose to print in grayscale or black ink only. The grayscale option is useful when your document contains color graphics and you will be duplicating the document in black and white. The black ink only option is useful when you donot use colors in your document. Some computers use colors such as dark green to print black text. By choosing the black only option, you save your color ink, and you also save time because black-and-white printing is generally much faster than color printing.
   
   Print in reverse order:
   When you are printing multiple page documents, it is convenient to use this option. Allow the pages to stack in the printer tray. When the last page is printed, you can pick up all the pages, and they are already in the correct sequence.
   
   Mirror image:
   This feature is especially useful if you are printing iron-on transfers. When you create the transfer image, everything is backwards and presented in a mirror image. If you donot have this option on your printer, you can flip the text and images in the graphic before you print the transfer sheet.
   
   Watermarks (or stamp background):
   If you make a last-minute decision to add a watermark, you can choose from preformatted watermarks and apply them just before you click the Print button. The watermark will be added to all pages in the document. Be sure to turn this feature off so it won’t print for all future printings.
   
   Ink volume:
   When using an inkjet printer, you can adjust the amount of ink printed on a page. In addition to conserving the amount of ink you use, the printed pages will dry much quicker. On the other hand, if you choose to increase the ink volume, you can change the settings to slow down the process between pages to allow extra time for the ink on the pages to dry.

3. To set options for all Word documents, click the Options button in the Print dialog box to quickly display this dialog box. (Or, click the Microsoft Office button, choose Word Options, and then select Display.) The settings are listed under Printing options. See the description of the Word printing options.

   Print drawings created in Word:
   You can choose to not print drawings and floating text boxes, which will make the printing go much faster. A blank box is printed in place of each drawing.
   
   Print background colors and images:
   When you format pages for others to view online, background colors and images can enhance the appearance of the document. When you print the pages, you can choose to print these enhancements.
   
   Print document properties:
   The document and the document properties will print on separate pages.
   
   Print hidden text:
   You can use the hidden text format (an option in the Font dialog box) to add text to a document that you donot want to appear in the printed document. If you decide to allow others to see this text in the printed document, you must turn this option on.
   
   Update fields before printing
   If you donot always remember to update fields, you can turn this option on to ensure that all printed documents will have updated field data.
   
   Update linked data before printing:
   If you create a link to another document, such as an Excel spreadsheet chart, this option will ensure that the document will print the most recent data in the chart.

4. To view additional Word printing options, click the Microsoft Office button, choose Word Options, select Advanced, and scroll down to the Print section. See the description of additional Word printing options.

   Use draft quality:
   If you are printing hard-copy drafts or documents that do not need to impress anyone, you can save ink or toner with this option, and you can save time because your document will print much faster.
   
   Print in background:
   When enabled, this option allows you to continue working in Word while the document is printing. When this option is turned off, you will need to wait until the spooling to the printer is finished.
   
   Print pages in reverse order
   When you are printing multiple-page documents, it is convenient to use this option. Allow the pages to stack in the printer tray. When the last page is printed, you can pick up all the pages, and they are already in the correct sequence.
   
   Print XML tags
   The XML tags that display in your document do not print. If you want the XML tags to show on the printed document, you must turn on this option.
   
   Print field codes instead of their values:
   By default, field codes do not print. Instead, the field values print. If you want field codes to print, you can turn on this option, which is useful if you want to review the fields inserted in a merge document.
   
   Print on front of the sheet for duplex printing:
   If your printer supports duplex printing, you need to enable this option for the duplex printing feature to work correctly. Some printers guide you through the manual duplex printing steps. To follow these steps and successfully print on both sides of the paper, you must turn this option on.
   
   Print on back of the sheet for duplex printing:
   If your printer supports duplex printing, you need to enable this option for the duplex printing feature to work correctly. Some printers guide you through the manual duplex printing steps. To follow these steps and successfully print on both sides of the paper, you must turn this option on.
   
   Scale content for A4 or 8.5"×11" paper sizes:
   You may format some of your documents with page layout settings for a page size that is larger than the standard A4 or 8.5"×ll" paper size, When you enable this option, Word will automatically scale the document to make sure it fits on an 8.5"×11" sheet of paper.
   
   Print PostScript over text:
   This option applies only to PostScript-compatible printers (usually laser printers). PostScript is a programming language that uses object-oriented (vector) graphics instead of bit-mapped graphics, which provides better print quality. Enable this option when printing a document that contains Print fields.
   
   Print only the data from a form:
   When you are printing an online form, you can choose to print only the data from the form. This option is very useful if you are manually tabulating a set of surveys.