Printing
Word allows you to print in several different ways from the keyboard, toolbar, or the menu. Often the whole document will be printed, but it is possible to print only a single page or only selected text. Alternatively you may want to print several documents at once, or several copies of the same document.
To print the whole document
- From the Standard toolbar, click Print
The whole document is printed using the default printing options.
OR
- From the File menu, select Print (SpeedKey: Ctrl+P)
The Print dialogue box is displayed.

Print dialogue box
- From the Page range panel, select the All button
- Click OK
To print selected text
Rather than printing the whole document, you can print only a selected part of it. The selection may be just a few words, sentences or paragraphs, or may extend across several pages.
- Select the text you want to print
- From the File menu, select Print... (SpeedKey: Ctrl+P)
- From the Page range panel, click the Selection option button
- Click OK
To print the current page
- Position the insertion point anywhere on the page to print
- From the File menu, select Print... (SpeedKey: Ctrl+P)
- From the Page range panel, select the Current Page option button
- Click OK
To print a specific page or a range of pages
- From the File menu, select Print... (SpeedKey: Ctrl+P)
- From the Page range panel select the Pages: option button
- Enter in the Pages: box, the page(s) you wish to print - separate individual pages with a comma and a range of pages with a dash, for example, 5-9, 13, 15-20
- Click OK
To print a document without opening it
- On the Standard toolbar, click Open
OR
- From the File menu, select Open... (SpeedKey: Ctrl+O)
The Open dialogue box is displayed listing the files and directories available.
Select the file you want to print
- Click the right mouse button
The file shortcut menu is displayed.

File shortcut menu
The whole file is printed.
To cancel printing from Word
When you print, Word creates temporary file on disk called a print file. This collects all of the information to be printed then sends it to the printer. While the print file is being created you can cancel the print.
To show the progress of the print file a Printing icon is displayed on the Word Status bar in place of the Spelling Checker icon. A counter lists each page as it is sent to the print file.
- Double-click the printer icon on the Status bar
The print is immediately cancelled.
OR
- From the File menu, select Print... (SpeedKey: Ctrl+P)
The Background Printing message box is displayed.

Background printing message box
To cancel printing from the print queue
When the print file is sent to the printer a printer icon is displayed on the Windows Taskbar. If you print again before the first one has completed, or where several people who share a printer all print at the same time, the print file is now placed in a queue to be printed. Any of your print jobs can be deleted from the print queue even if they are in the process of printing.
- From the Windows Taskbar, double-click the Printer icon
The Active Printer dialogue box is displayed.

Active printers dialogue box
- Click the name of the print job to delete it from the print queue
- From the Document menu, select Cancel Printing
Note: If the print file you want to cancel is still being created and the Printer icon
is visible on the Status bar you should cancel it from Word, not from the Active Printer dialogue box. Otherwise Word will continue to create a print file.