Wednesday, March 24, 2010

How to Edit a Word document in Print Preview

Print Preview displays a document as it will appear in printed form. It displays formatting, columns, pictures, AutoShapes, and even header and footer text, giving you a complete look at your document. You may have noticed that in Print Preview, the insertion point marker turns into the Magnifier. Clicking with that marker zooms in and out, but you can’t edit the document. That’s a shame, you think, because it certainly would be helpful if you could edit a document in Print Preview, wouldn’t it?
But we can edit a document in Print Preview. How you do so isn’t obvious, but it is simple. To edit a document in Print Preview, click the Magnifier icon on the Print Preview toolbar. Doing so disables that tool and the insertion point marker reverts to the I-beam you’re use to seeing in Normal view. Now you can edit away! When you want to zoom, just click Magnifier again. (In Word 2007, uncheck Magnifier in the Preview group on the Print Preview toolbar.) Any edits you make in Print Preview will become part of your document; Word retains those edits when you return to Normal view.
Viewing a document in Print Preview is convenient, but editing the document while in Print Preview can be even more convenient. Just remember to click the Magnifier tool to toggle between the Magnifier and the normal insertion point marker.