PrintDeskTop — Frequently Asked Questions
 













 
  1. Question:  What is PrintDeskTop?
    Answer:  PrintDeskTop is a freeware screen print utility for Windows.

  2. Question:  How do I print my screen with PrintDeskTop?
    Answer:  Please see the How to use It page.

  3. Question:  How do I define a shortcut key to print my screen?
    Answer:  Please view the Define a Shortcut Key page.

  4. Question:  How do I specify the printer PrintDeskTop prints to?
    Answer:  Using the freeware utility SetPrinter.  PrintDeskTop always prints to the default printer; SetPrinter lets you change the default printer with two mouse clicks.

  5. Question:  Sometimes I get more than one printout when I use PrintDeskTop.  Why does this happen?
    Answer:  The repaet delay on your keyboard is probably too short.  Please view the How to fix multiple print problem page.

  6. Question:  Sometimes when I print my screen, part of the Windows Start menu appears in my printout.  Why does this happen?
    Answer:  On some higher-end systems, PrintDeskTop launches and prints too fast.  To solve this, Define a Shortcut Key.

  7. Question:  When I print a DOS application's screen, I get only a completley black page.  Why does this happen?
    Answer:  You must run your DOS application in window mode.  To do this:
    1. Close the DOS application.
    2. Right-click the icon you use to launch the application.
    3. Click properties.
    4. Click the Options tab.
    5. Ensure that the "Display Options" is set to Window.
    6. If you're prompted to "Apply Properties to shortcut," click OK.  This instructs Windows to remember to start in window mode the next time you launch the application.
    7. Now, resize the window to be nearly full screen and then use PrintDeskTop.

  8. Question:  Can I print in landscape mode?
    Answer:  Yes.  Install PrintDeskTop version 1.06 and then click Start->All Programs->PrintDeskTop->PrintDeskTop (landscape).

  9. Question:  How do I print to a file (to attach to email or whatever)?
    Answer:  No direct way to do this.  However, you can following these steps:
    1. Press the PrintScreen key on your keyboard to copy the current screen to the clipboard (if you want only the active window, hold down the Alt key and then press PrintScreen).
    2. Open MsPaint (Start->Run->MsPaint).
    3. Paste the image into MsPaint (Edit->Paste).
    4. Select the portion of the image you want using the Select tool ().  By default, the entire image is pre-selected.
    5. Click Edit->Copy To...
    6. Save the selected portion of the image to the file name of your choice. Then use the file as you would any other image file.

  10. Question:  There is a lot of white-space on my screen prints.  How do I make PrintDeskTop use the full page when printing?
    Answer
    :  Printing in landscape will fill nearly the entire page.  If this is not sufficient, you may be able to specify an option for this in printer properties.
    To access printer properties:
    1. Click Start->Control Panel.
    2. Double-click Printers and Faxes.
    3. Right-click on your default printer (it should have a black checkmark on it) and then click Properties.
    4. Search through your printer properties for a property named scale to page, fit to page, reduce/enlarge, or similar.  Here's an example for an Espon printer:
    5. Click OK and give PrintDeskTop a try.
    6. Since this change will likely affect all of your printing, you may want to define an alternate printer (see Can I print in landscape mode, above, for instructions) and use SetPrinter to quickly switch between normal and scaled printing.

  11. Question:  My page gets cut off when I print, even when I print in landscape mode. What's wrong?
    Answer
    :  Ensure that the Windows Display setting "Scale and layout" is set to 100%.
    To access Display settings:
    1. Type Display into the Windows "Type here to search" prompt.
    2. Single-click Display settings.
    3. Scroll down to "Scale and layout" and choose 100%:
    4. Close the Display setting dialog and give PrintDeskTop a try.

  12. Question:  Does PrintDeskTop work on Windows Vista?
    Answer:  Yes.  

  13. Question:  Does PrintDeskTop work on Windows 7?
    Answer:  Yes.  

  14. Question:  Does PrintDeskTop work on Windows 8?
    Answer:  Yes.  

  15. Question:  Does PrintDeskTop work on Windows 10?
    Answer:  Yes.  

  16. Question:  Does PrintDeskTop work on Windows 11?
    Answer:  Yes.