Document Actions
Reducing Print Cost Handout
How to reduce print costs.
Introduction |
Since printing from any Open Access Lab costs money, many students want tips on how to reduce their print charges as much as possible. This handout gives suggestions that can reduce the number of pages you print. Many of these tips can be combined with one another to greatly reduce the number of pages you print.
Duplex Printing |
1. From the File menu, select Print.
2. In the Print dialog box that appears (see Figure 1), click the Properties button in the upper-right corner.
3. A new dialog box appears. Click the Layout tab.
4. The middle of the dialog box contains a section for duplex printing (see Figure 2). Select Flip on Long Edge from drop-down menu. Click OK to close the dialog box.
5. Click OK to print your document.
Figure 2. Setting for duplex printing
Multiple Pages on Each Printed Page |
This is a great way to reduce the number of pages printed. This feature allows you to place up to 16 pages of a document on one printed page. Combining this option with duplex printing can drastically reduce print charges.
To print multiple pages, do the following:
1. From the File menu, select Print.
2. In the Print dialog box that appears, click the Properties button in the upper-right corner.
3. A new dialog box appears. Click the Layout tab.
4. In the lower-left corner, select the number of pages per sheet from the Pages Per Sheet drop-down box (see Figure 3). Click OK to close the dialog box.
5. Click OK to print your document.
Figure 3. Setting for printing multiple pages per sheet
Tips on Printing from Word and Excel |
Print Preview
The Print Preview tool is an excellent way to proof your documents and make sure they look the way you want. The Print Preview tool can be accessed by clicking the Office button, selecting Print, and choosing Print Preview from that menu (see Figure 4).
Page Margins
Decreasing the size of page margins in your document reduces the amount of white space on your printouts. To shrink the page margins, follow these instructions:
1. From the Page Layout tab, select Page Setup and then select Margins (see Figure 5).
Figure 5. Changing page margins
2. The Custom Margins option contains options for setting top and bottom, and left and right margins (circled on Figure 5 above). Making these numbers smaller increases the amount that fits on each page. Click OK to apply the settings.
Figure 6. Reducing page margins
Printing Selected Pages
Instead of printing an entire document, you can print only the pages that you need by following these instructions:
1. From the Office menu, choose Print (see Figure 4).
2. The left side of the Print dialog box contains an area where you can specify the page range to print (see Figure 7). In the Pages text field, enter the pages you want to print.
3. Click OK.
Figure 7. Setting the pages to print
Tips on Printing from PowerPoint |
Always check the Pure black & white option when printing from PowerPoint (found under the Color/grayscale menu as shown in Figure 6). This drastically reduces the time it takes to receive your printout.
Multiple Slides on Each Page
Instead of printing one slide per page, PowerPoint lets you to print several slides per page. To do so, follow these instructions:
1. From the Office menu, choose Print (see Figure 4).
2. In the Print dialog box that appears, the Print what pull-down menu is located in the lower-left corner (see Figure 8). Select Handouts. By selecting Handouts, you can choose the number of Slides per page.
3. Click OK.
Figure 8. Setting for printing multiple slides per sheet
Printing Selected Slides
Instead of printing all of the slides in a presentation, you can print only the slides you need by following these instructions:
1. From the Office menu, choose Print.
2. The left side of the Print dialog box contains the Print range area (see Figure 9). In the Slides text field, enter the slides that you want to print.
Figure 9. Setting the slides to print
3. Click OK.
Tips on Printing from Internet Explorer |
Shrinking Text Size
By reducing the text size of a web page, you can fit much more on each printed page. Under the Page icon, go to Text Size. In the submenu that appears, select the font size you want (see Figure 10).
Figure 10. Text size in Internet Explorer
Printing a Selected Page Range
1. From the Print icon, choose Print.
2. The left side of the Print dialog box has an area for selecting what page range to print (see Figure 11). Enter the page range you want to print.
3. Click OK.
Figure 11. Setting the pages to print in Internet Explorer
Printing from Web Pages with Frames
If you want to print from a web page that uses frames, Internet Explorer gives you several options. When you are ready to print, go to the Options tab in the Print dialog box (see Figure 12). Depending on what you want to print, you can print the web page as it appears on the screen, print only a selected frame, or print each frame of the web page individually.
Figure 12. Selecting print options in Internet Explorer
Shrinking Page Margins
1. Under the Print icon, select Page Setup.
2. In the lower portion of the dialog box that appears, you can change the margins of the pages you print (see Figure 13). Change these values to what you want.
3. Click OK.
Figure 13. Reducing page margins in Internet Explorer
For More Help |