Dwight Watt - Newspaper Article #253 6/11/2014


Question: How can I print what is on my PC screen?

Answer:

You can print what is on your computer screen in a couple of steps. I am going to reference using Word pad thru this article as it is included with Windows, but you could use any word processor also

You will get a copy of what is on the screen stored on the clipboard by pressing the shift key and the PttScn (or could say PrintScreen or PrtScr) key (usually in the upper right corner of keyboard) together. The clipboard is a temporary storage location that Windows keeps the latest thing that has been copy or cut.

You can then paste the image of the screen that is on the clipboard in any program that allows you to paste images.

In WordPad open a new document and past the image of the screen. A couple of common ways to do this are: 1. Press the CTRL and v keys together or 2. Click the Paste button on the Home ribbon bar or 3. Choose Edit and Paste on the menu if you have that in your program

If you just want to print the image, use your print button or print menu item to print the file.

If you want to send the image, then save the document using your save button or menu, just choose as a document not as a text type file (.txt) Text type files do not contain graphics or images. You can then send someone the file as an attachment.

This will allow you to show someone what you were seeing on your screen. This can be useful for diagnostics or showing you had done certain work.