Computer Basics - Printing

When a printer is connected to your computer you can print out documents and photos.

There are many different makes and models of printers, but they have some common print options:

Paper size

Most home printers use A4 paper which is the size of a letter. Some larger printers can print bigger sizes like A3, which is double the size of A4.

Page layout

This can also be called the page orientation. You can change the page layout to print as portrait (tall) or landscape (wide).

Number of copies

You can select the number of copies of a document you want to print.

Using print preview

Before you print a document it's a good idea to have a look at print preview. Print preview shows you exactly what it will print. You should find print preview in the file menu for a program. You can use print preview to check you have the correct page layout and you are only printing out the pages that you need.

If you have a printer plugged in, maybe you want to try printing for real. But keep in mind that you will be using up a lot of ink, which is not cheap these days.

Just make sure you have some paper in the printer. You will also have to select how many copies you want to print, it automatically says 1 but you can select any number you want.