Outlook Express: Requires a Local Stop

One of the major benefits of the modern computer was the idea of WYSIWYG (“wissy-wig”): What You See Is What You Get. In theory, what you see on the screen is what you should see when you print. Unfortunately, this is increasingly becoming a forgotten rule.

As many users who switch to broadband (DSL or cable) are finding, the “default” mail is typically set up for Outlook Express. You load your install CD for your broadband and you soon see, quite possibly, a new icon, which, in fact, is your new mail service.

Now we can all make the email look larger, to read it more clearly, by simply going to the Menu Bar and clicking View>Text Size and clicking Larger – or Largest. The problem comes in printing the mail in an equivalent size – instead of the, seemingly, default 10-point font that the letter originally came in. (Is this an AOL thing?)

Now I am going to ask for a little help here, as this may not be the most direct route, but there are other uses for this technique – including any webpage. The size that you changed the print for reading has no affect on the letter to be printed. I could find no place where I could change the print-size font, no Properties, not even a Print View screen; so this is what I saw as necessary.

[Oops! There IS a way in Print Preview that can work! Where you might see "Shrink to Fit" in the middle/top, there is a pull-down menu of 100%, 125% ... Sometimes you can get away with 125%, BUT the right-hand side can be cut off. Not a problem if it is nothing but ads ... So there IS a short way to sometimes get items to print larger; it just isn't bullet-proof ...]

Let us say we have a letter on the screen we want to print. First, open a [new] Word – or Works, or whatever writing tool you may have – document. Then minimize it, so that you are back at your letter. Now we have to select the text we want to print; if we want to print the entire document, we can hit Ctrl-A or Edit>Select All, followed by Ctrl-C or Edit>Copy.

Then restore the empty/new Word/Works document. Hit Ctrl-V or Edit>Paste. Once again, hit Ctrl-A or Edit>Select All. Look for the font size next to the font type up in the second or third toolbar; it should be a number like 10 or 12. Normally there is a tiny pull-down menu next to this number, and I would recommend changing the size to at least 12 (if it isn’t already) or even 14. If the letter looks funny, with line breaks, you can change the text as you normally would. Now just hit File>Print for the document. You can close/cancel the document if printing was all you wanted to do, or save it as new file (which will NOT affect your email letter!)

Oddly enough, the closest to WYSWIG in Word, is setting the magnification % (usually next to the paragraph mark on the first/second toolbar) to 75% – not 100%! Hold up your printed page to a 75% magnification and you will see that is the closest one can achieve.


Archie specializes in tutoring and training of seniors in PC security, Windows, Internet, and Microsoft Office. He holds the CompTIA A+ certification and is often featured speaker at Goodwin House in Alexandria; he can be emailed at ama3@tfci-us.com