Printing

Printing begins with connecting your computer to a printer. Once you have finished that, you can print files, track the progress of your print jobs, and even cancel or restart them.


To connect a printer to your computer

  1. Connect the printer cable to the appropriate port on your computer according to the printer manufacturer's instructions.
  2. Plug the power cord of the printer into a wall outlet and turn the printer on. One of the following happens:

  • Windows detects your Plug and Play printer and installs it without requiring you to make any selections. The printer is ready to print.
  • The Found New Hardware Wizard appears. Select Install the software automatically (Recommended), click Next, and then follow the instructions.
  • Windows does not detect your printer. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then double-click Add Hardware to install the printer. You may also wish to consult your printer manufacturer's instructions.

To print a document

While a document is printing, a printer icon appears in the notification area. When this icon disappears, your document has finished printing.

  1. Open the document you want to print.
  2. On the File menu of the program you are using, click Print.

To set page orientation

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then double-click Printers.
  2. Right-click the icon for the printer you are using, and then click Printing Preferences.
  3. On the Layout tab, under Orientation, select one of the following options:

  • Portrait to print vertically on the page.
  • Landscape to print horizontally on the page.
  • Rotated Landscape to rotate the print 90 degrees counterclockwise on the page.

    A representation of your selection appears in the display area of the dialog box.

To specify paper size

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then double-click Printers.
  2. Right-click the icon for the printer you are using, and then click Printing Preferences.
  3. Click Advanced, and under Paper/Output, click Paper Size.
  4. Click the paper size you want, and then click OK.

To set printing defaults

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then double-click Printers.
  2. Right-click the printer for which you want to set the default printing preferences, and then click Properties.
  3. On the Advanced tab, click Printing Defaults.
  4. Click the Layout and Paper/Quality tabs and the Advanced button to see the available choices, and then specify the new default settings.

To set printing resolution

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then double-click Printers.
  2. Right-click the icon for the printer you are using, and then click Printing Preferences.
  3. Click Advanced, and under Graphic, click Print Quality.
  4. Click the resolution option you want, and then click OK.

To view documents in the print queue

The print queue displays information about a document such as print status and number of pages to be printed. From the print queue, you can cancel or pause printing for any document you have sent to the printer.

  • Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then double-click Printers.

To cancel printing of a document

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then double-click Printers.
  2. Double-click the printer you are using to open the print queue.
  3. Right-click the document you want to stop printing, and then click Cancel.

To delete a printer

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Printers and Other Hardware, and then double-click Printers.
  2. Right-click the printer you wish to delete.
  3. Click Delete.
  4. If prompted whether you are sure you want to delete the printer, click Yes.