Section 7.9. Setting Print Options

7.9. Setting Print Options

The Word Options window is where you tweak Word to make it behave the way you want. Some print settings worth knowing about are, somewhat oddly, tucked away on the Display panel. Go to Office button Word Options Display. The printing settings are at the bottom. A checkmark indicates the option is turned on. Heres what you find:

• Print drawings created in Word . The factory setting is to have this option turned on. Turn it off if you ever want to print a document without any graphics or floating text boxes.

• Print background colors and images . Page color and background images work better for Web pages than they do for printed documents. When you install Word, this option is turned off, but you can always toggle it back on.

• Print document properties . Turn this option on, and Word prints your document, and then prints the document propertiesauthor, title, and so onon a separate page at the end. (If you've never checked out your document properties, take a look by choosing Office button Prepare Properties.)

• Print hidden text . You can hide text in your document using a font style command (Alt+H, FN, Alt+H). With this box turned on, that text doesn't stay hidden when you print.

• Update fields before printing . Word fields include things like the date in a header (Section 3.4) or a contact from your Outlook address book. It's usually a good idea to leave this box turned on because it makes sure you have the most up-to-date information before you print.

• Update linked data before printing . Like the fields option above, this option is turned on when you install Word, and it's good to leave it that way. If you link a table or chart from an Excel spreadsheet, this option makes sure it's using the most recent info .