Even in our digital age, we still need printouts of our electronic documents.
Microsoft Word has many parameters which you can change to ensure you obtain the optimum printed document.
In this article, we will share the three quick methods of printing a document, and then list the many parameters available to customize your printout.
3 Methods to print a Microsoft Word document:
- Use the menu structure
- Use a keyboard shortcut
- Use the Quick Access Toolbar
Let us begin.
Method #1: Using the Menu Structure
If you are not familiar with keyboard shortcuts, following the menu path is the easiest and most logical way to get to the print menu.
Step #1: Open a Word document
Open the document you want to print.
Step #2: Open the print menu
Click on the File tab in the top main menu bar.
This will open the File menu in the left pane.
Click on the Print option.
This opens the Print menu in the center pane.
A preview of the document is available in the right pane.
Step #3: Select your settings and print
Once you have applied the settings described below, click on the Print button.
Method #2: Using a Keyboard Shortcut
Keyboard shortcuts are something you will enjoy using, as they are so quick to apply. Printing is one of the easiest ones to remember.
Step #1: Open a Word document
Open the document you want to print.
Step #2: Apply the shortcut
On your keyboard, press Ctrl and then the P key. (Ctrl + P)
For a Mac, press your command key and then P. (Command + P)
This opens the Print menu in the center pane.
A preview of the document is available in the right pane.
Step #3: Select your settings and print
Once you have applied the printing settings described below, click on the Print button.
Method #3: Using the Quick Access Toolbar
This third option is even quicker than navigating via the menu, or using a keyboard shortcut, as it takes only one click. However, this icon is not in the Quick Access Toolbar by default. We’ll explain how to add it to become a default feature.
Step #1: Open a Word document
Open the document you want to print.
Step #2: Add the print preview icon to your toolbar
Above your top menu bar, on the left side, is a group of icons.
They form the Quick Access Toolbar.
Click on the down triangle on the extreme right.
This opens a menu.
Click on Print Review and Print.
A new icon that looks like a page with a magnifying glass is added to the Quick Access Toolbar.
Note: You can also add the Quick Print icon, which looks like a little printer. However, this bypasses the Print Settings page.
Step #3: Select the print preview icon
Click on the small print preview icon in the Quick Access Toolbar.
This opens the Print menu in the center pane.
A preview of the document is available in the right pane.
Step #4: Select your settings and print
Once you have applied the printing settings described below, click on the Print button.
Printing Settings
Step #1: Select what you want to print
Decide what you want to print – the whole document or just a part of it.
Under Settings, click the small down arrow next to Print All Pages.
A menu will open.
The options available for printing are:
- Print All Pages — All pages in the document
- Print Selection — Only pages you have pre-selected in the document
- Print Current Page — The page currently showing in the right pane
- Custom Print — Specific pages, sections or ranges
Choose your preference.
Step #2: Select how it must be printed on the paper
Decide whether you want to print on one side of the paper or on both.
Under Settings, click on the down arrow next to Print One Sided.
A menu will open.
The options available for printing are:
- Print One Sided — Only print on one side of the paper.
- Manually Print on Both Sides — Print on both sides. You will have to manually reload the paper for the second side when prompted.
- Print Both Sides – This will depend on your printer and may not show if it is not a printing option.
Choose your preference.
Step #3: Select the printing order
When printing multiple copies of a document, you can decide whether you want complete sets to be printed, or each page printed (x) number of times.
Under Settings, click on the down arrow next to Collated.
A menu will open.
The options available for printing are:
- Collated — Print all pages in the document, then print the next copy, and so on.
- Uncollated — Print all copies of the first page, then print all copies of the second page, and so on.
Choose your preference.
Step #4: Select the page orientation
Decide how to orient the page during printing.
Under Settings, click on the down arrow next to Landscape Orientation.
A menu will open.
The options available for printing are:
- Portrait Orientation — Printing will proceed along the length of the paper.
- Landscape Orientation — Printing will proceed along the width of the paper.
Choose your preference.
Step #5: Select the paper size
This step allows you to select the paper size for printing.
Under Settings, click on the down arrow next to A4.
A menu will open.
Many paper sizes are listed.
Choose the paper size available for your printer.
Step #6: Set the margins
This step allows you to decide what margins you want for the paper.
Under Settings, click on the down arrow next to Normal Margins.
A menu will open.
Many margin options are listed.
Choose a suitable margin according to your preference.
Step #7: Select pages per sheet
This step allows you to cram multiple pages of your document into one sheet of paper.
Under Settings, click on the down arrow next to 1 Page per Sheet.
A menu will open.
Choose a suitable number of pages per sheet.
Step #8: Choose your printer
Decide which printer to print to, if several are available, or you can add a printer.
Under Printer, click on the down arrow.
A menu will open.
Choose a suitable printer.
Step #9: Print your document
Decide on the number of copies you want and start the printing process.
Under Print, click on 1 next to Copies: and fill in the number of copies you want to print.
Click on the Print icon to start the printing process.
Conclusion
We have shown you how you can easily access the print options, and then set up different aspects when printing a Word document. Use these steps to get the best results.