Setting Up Your Printer

You can change the settings Word uses when printing through your printer. How you make the changes depends on the version of Word you are using. If you are using Word 2010 or a later version of the program, follow these steps:

1. Display the File tab of the ribbon.
2. Click Print at the left side of the dialog box. Word displays the printing options at the right side of the dialog box. (See Figure 1.) (You can also display these options by simply pressing Ctrl+P.)



Figure 1. The printing options on the File tab of the ribbon.

3. Using the Printer drop-down list, select the printer you want to use. (It is common to have more than one printer available if you are working in a networked environment.)
4. Click on the Printer Properties button. Word displays the Properties dialog box for the printer you selected in step 3. The exact appearance of the dialog box, and the controls it contains, depends on the printer driver you have installed for your printer.
5. Using the tabs and other controls in the dialog box, specify the printer settings you want to use.
6. Click on OK to close the Properties dialog box.
7. Click the Print button to print your document.

If you are using Word 2007 the steps are different:

1. Click the Office button and then click Print. Word displays the Print dialog box. (You can also display the dialog box by simply pressing Ctrl+P.)
2. Using the Name drop-down list, select the printer you want to use. (It is common to have more than one printer available if you are working in a networked environment.)
3. Click on the Properties button. Word displays the Properties dialog box for the printer you selected in step 2. The exact appearance of the dialog box, and the controls it contains, depends on the printer driver you have installed for your printer.
4. Using the tabs and other controls in the dialog box, specify the printer settings you want to use.
5. Click on OK to close the Properties dialog box.
6. Click on OK from the Print dialog box. Your document will be printed.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (11695) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Setting Up Your Printer.