How to Print a Document, Picture, or File: Windows & Mac (2024)

Written byRain Kengly

Last Updated: March 29, 2024Fact Checked

Printing Documents on Windows or Mac

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1. 1

   Make sure that your printer is connected and turned on. If your printer connects over Wi-Fi, this will mean making sure that you're on the same Internet network as your printer; otherwise, you'll need to plug your printer's USB cable into your computer.

   • Check your printer's manual to confirm how to set it up if you haven't already done so.
   • Be sure to update your printer drivers.
2. 2

   Open the document you want to print. This could be a PDF, Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or even photos.

   • Use the File Explorer to find the file if needed.

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3. 3

   On your keyboard, press Ctrl+P. This is the keyboard shortcut to open the print menu.

   • You can also manually open the print menu by clicking the printer icon.
   • In some apps, you'll need to click File and then Print.
   • The print menu may look different depending on the application used to open your file.
4. 4

   Select your printer. Click the "Printer" drop-down box, then click your printer's name.

   • If you don't see your printer, you'll need to add it.
5. 5

   Select a number of copies. In the "Copies" box, type in the number of copies of the document that you'd like to print.

   • This is different than the number of pages.
6. 6

   Edit other print settings. The menu for each document type will vary, but you'll have the following options for most documents:

   • Orientation: Determine whether your document is oriented vertically or horizontally.
   • Color: Decide between printing in black and white or including color printing. You must have colored ink in your printer to print in color.
   • Number of sides - Choose single-sided printing to print one sheet of paper per page, or choose double-sided printing to use both sides of a piece of paper.
7. 7

   Click Print. It's either at the bottom of the window or at the top of the window. Your document will begin printing.

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Download Article

1. 1

   Make sure that your printer is connected and turned on. If your printer connects over Wi-Fi, this will mean making sure that you're on the same Internet network as your printer; otherwise, you'll need to plug your printer's USB cable into your computer.

   See Also

   How to Print on a MacHow To Print On A MacPrint documents from your MacPrint settings on Mac

   • Be sure to update your printer drivers.
2. 2

   Open the document you want to print. This could be a PDF, Word document, Pages document, or even pictures.

   • Use the Finder to find the file if needed.
3. 3

   On your keyboard, press ⌘ Command+P. This is the keyboard shortcut to open the print menu.^[1]

   • You can also click File at the top toolbar and then Print.
   • The print menu may look different depending on the application used to open your file.
4. 4

   Select your printer. Click the "Printer" drop-down box, then click your printer's name in the drop-down menu.

5. 5

   Select a number of copies. Choose the number in the "Copies" field.

6. 6

   Edit other print settings. Click Show Details to expand the "Pages" settings.

   • Pages: Select pages to print. If you leave "All" selected, your entire document will print.
   • Paper size: Use this option to scale your printer's margins up or down for different paper sizes.
   • Orientation: Determine whether your document is oriented vertically or horizontally.
   • Number of sides: Choose single-sided printing to print one sheet of paper per page, or choose double-sided printing to use both sides of a piece of paper.
7. 7

   Click Print. It's in the bottom-right corner of the window. Your document will begin printing.

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