Print Preview

Submitted by HelpMeRick.com on December 30, 2005 - 12:34pm.

Sometimes the most helpful computer utilities elude us and stay hidden for years. One such utility that I find very helpful (and have taken for granted) is the Print Preview function found in almost any program that allows printing.

Because Windows and Macintosh made the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment available to the masses, what we see on our screens is pretty close to what we see on our print outs. However, if you need to tweak margins, find the extra line that is creating an extra page, or determine whether a document (like a spreadsheet) will look better in Landscape or Portrait mode, there is no substitute for the Print Preview command.

The universal icon for the Print Preview command is a piece of paper with a magnifying glass on the top of it. Or, you can find the Print Preview in the File menu of most any program. Once you invoke the Print Preview, you can view your document as it will look printed on a full page.

Some programs allow you to adjust margins and flip the document from Portrait to Landscape right from the Print Preview function. Imaging programs will give you a chance to choose the size of the print out you want and how you want the print positioned on the page.

The next time your mouse gets ready to click the Print button, take a moment, instead, to check out the Print Preview before printing your document. You will be glad you did.

If this helped, consider buying me a beer or an Americano!