Changing Print Settings

In some situations, you might want to print only the current page or a certain range of pages. These options are controlled in the Print dialog box. The Print dialog box supplies you with several options, including the printer to which you send the print job, the number of copies, and the page range to be printed.

To open the Print dialog box, select File , then Print . The Print dialog box is shown in Figure 14.2.

Figure 14.2. The Print dialog box gives you control over the options for your document.

Depending on your home or office situation, you might have your computer connected to more than one printer ( especially if you are on a network). The Print dialog box has a drop-down box that lists all the printers to which you have access. To select a printer other than the current printer, click the drop-down arrow in the Name box and choose your printer from the list.

The Print dialog box also enables you to select the range to be printed. This range can consist of a page, a group of specific pages in a sequence, or all the pages in the document.

• All Pages To print all the pages in the document, make sure the All option button is selected.

• Current Page To print a single page, click the Current Page option button (this prints the page that the insertion point is parked on).

• Page Range To designate a range of pages, click the Pages option button and type the page numbers into the Pages box.

  

  Specifying Page Ranges To print a continuous range of pages, use the 15 format (where 1 is the start and 5 is the end of the range). For pages not in a continuous range, use the 5,9,13 format (where each distinct page number to be printed is separated by a comma). You can also mix the two formats. For example, you could specify 15,9,13.

  
  

• Number of Copies In the Copies area of the Print dialog box, use the increment buttons in the Number of Copies box to select the number of copies you want to print. You can also double-click inside the Number of Copies box and type in a particular value for the number of copies you want.

• Collate In addition to specifying the number of copies, you can select whether to collate your document by checking the Collate box in the copies area. Collate means that the document is printed in the proper order for stapling or binding.

  For example, a 10-page document would be printed from page 1 through 10 and then the subsequent copies would also print in this "collated" arrangement. If you do not choose to collate, all the copies of page 1 will be printed, then page 2, and so on.

You can also choose to print all the pages in a chosen range or print only the odd or even pages. Click the Print drop-down box (near the bottom left of the dialog box) and select All Pages in Range, Odd Pages , or Even Pages, as required.

Another print option worth mentioning is the Zoom print option in the Print dialog box. This feature enables you to place several document pages on one sheet of paper. To use Zoom print, click the Pages per Sheet drop-down box in the Zoom area of the Print dialog box and select the number of document pages you want to place on a sheet of paper. To select a scale for the print job (the scale is the relative size of the mini-pages on the printout page, such as 8.5 by 11 inches or legal size), click the Scale to Paper Size drop-down box.

After you select these two options, proceed with your print job. Be advised, however, that the more pages you place on a single sheet, the smaller the text appears.

Finally, you can print special items that you have placed in your document, such as comments, styles, and AutoText entries. When you choose to print one of these items, you are supplied with a page or pages separate from the main document that lists the comments, styles, or other items you've selected.

Select the Print What drop-down arrow and select from the list of items as follows :

• Document Prints the document.

• Document Properties Prints a summary of the information found in the document properties dialog (click File, Properties).

• Document Showing Markup Shows the document with markup from tracking changes by multiple authors.

• List of Markup Prints a list of changes added to a document involving multiple authors.

• Styles Lists the styles in the document.

• AutoText Entries Provides a list of the AutoText entries in the document.

• Key Assignments Shows the shortcut key assignments for the document.

If you want to print more than one of these optional items with the document printout, you must select them in the Print options dialog box.