Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Printing the Active Document from a Macro.
Macros really can make life easier. It is not uncommon to create macros that perform repetitive tasks, and thereby relieve us of the mundane tasks we might otherwise need to perform. It is also not uncommon to need to print out the current document after doing some processing on it. If you find yourself with this need, you can simply let the macro take care of printing the current document. To add this capability to your macros, simply include a line like this:
ActiveDocument.PrintOut Copies:=1
The PrintOut method prints the specified document; in this case, the ActiveDocument object—the document currently selected—is printed. In this particular usage, the Copies argument is used to specify how many copies of the document to print.
When using the PrintOut method, there are quite a few different arguments you can use. Rather than detail all of them, it is probably more useful to just look at some of the more common arguments you can use.
| Argument | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| Copies | The number of copies to print. | |
| Pages | The page ranges to print. The ranges are separated by commas and enclosed in quote marks, similar to how you specify page ranges in the Print dialog box. | |
| PrintToFile | Normally False, but you can set it to True if you want output to go to a disk file instead of the printer. | |
| OutputFileName | Only necessary if you set PrintToFile to True. Used to specify the file name of the output file. |
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (12847) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, and 2013. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Printing the Active Document from a Macro.
Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access) with VBA programming, using it for writing macros, automating Office applications, and creating custom applications. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2013 today!
You can change the order in which pages are printed (normal or reversed) using the Print dialog box or the print settings in ...
Discover MoreWord works great with text, but not so great if you need to do some specialized things with the text, such as printing it on ...
Discover MoreIf you are planning a dinner party or a meeting where guests need to be seated at tables, you may want to create tent cards ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2015-04-23 11:51:29
Michele
This doesn't address switching paper drawers.
2014-01-06 10:24:02
Not Bryan
Of course, there are a lot more arguments to the PrintOut method: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/bb237242(v=office.12).aspx
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2017 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, and 2013. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: 
Comments