# How do I print whatever is on my screen? (Windows XP)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 10, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718 "2008-04-10T02:39:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/1 "2008-04-10T02:39:01Z")
I know how to use PrtScrn to paste a copy of my screen into Paint or Word.
I want to print my screen directly to a printer with the fewest possible steps.
What’s the best way to do this?
Thanks!
😃
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### Author:  [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/2 "2008-04-10T02:42:39Z")
Have you tried Control-P to see what happens?
Edit: Although I guess that wouldn’t work if you were in any programs, like Word or IE.
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### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/3 "2008-04-10T02:54:21Z")
I don’t know if this is the best, but you can download [Gadwin Printscreen](http://www.gadwin.com/printscreen/) freeware.
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### Author:  [@Blueapple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blueapple)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/4 "2008-04-10T03:28:52Z")
Could you PrintScreen and after pasting into Word/Paint, print it out?
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/5 "2008-04-10T11:31:19Z")
[QUOTE=Blueapple]
Could you PrintScreen and after pasting into Word/Paint, print it out?
[/QUOTE]
Yes, but my wife has to print something like 100 screens, so she would like a quicker way.
🙂
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/6 "2008-04-10T12:59:25Z")
I think one way might be to use a screen-capture utility like SnagIt to capture the screens to files, and then print them in batches.
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### Author:  [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/7 "2008-04-10T17:15:10Z")
There’s no built-in way in Windows XP to send a screen capture directly to the default printer. Like others have mentioned, you might be able to find some third-party software that does this.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/8 "2008-04-10T18:45:13Z")
Then what the hell is that PrtScr button still doing there??
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### Author:  [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/9 "2008-04-10T19:35:18Z")
[QUOTE=Great Dave]
Then what the hell is that PrtScr button still doing there??
[/QUOTE]
It’s a legacy from MS-DOS; IIRC, back in the day, when you pressed it, the text on the screen would be sent to the printer port. On Windows, it copies a bitmap of the screen into the clipboard (i.e. a screen shot), so that you may paste it into a document.
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### Author:  [@Fiveroptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveroptic)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/10 "2008-04-10T21:32:30Z")
> [@SnagIt's Web Page](#):
>
> **Print your screen capture**
>
> With SnagIt’s easily adjustable print options, your printed screen captures will look exactly the way you want them to – the right way, every time.
>
> [From [halfway](http://www.techsmith.com/snagit/share.asp) down the page.]
And with a 30-day free trial it would be just the right price for your wife to finish her project. Heck, I only use screenshots maybe five or six times a year and I’m thinking about downloading the trial just because it looks kind of nifty.
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### Author:  [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)
#### Post date: [April 10, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/11 "2008-04-10T21:49:26Z")
[QUOTE=3waygeek]
On Windows, it copies a bitmap of the screen into the clipboard (i.e. a screen shot), so that you may paste it into a document.
[/QUOTE]
FWIW, Alt-PrtScrn gives you a shot of just the front-most, active window rather than the whole screen.
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### Author:  [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2008, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/12 "2008-04-11T00:22:14Z")
[QUOTE=squeegee]
FWIW, Alt-PrtScrn gives you a shot of just the front-most, active window rather than the whole screen.
[/QUOTE]
Cool! Thanks.
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### Author:  [@aaelghat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaelghat)
#### Post date: [April 11, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-print-whatever-is-on-my-screen-windows-xp/444718/13 "2008-04-11T00:35:25Z")
From the google adwords ads on the bottom, it looks like this utility does the trick:
> **[Print screen software](http://www.robsoftware.com/)**
>
> Print screen captures with just a key press.
The web site says they have an evaluation version…