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Have you ever noticed the Print Screen/SysRq key (typically located at the top right of the keyboard)? The Windows Print Screen Key can be a powerful tool if you know how to use it to its full potential. There are some who initially think that when they press the Print Screen Key that it will literally be sent to the printer! That is an honest mistake.
In Windows, the sole function of this key is to take a snapshot or picture of your computer screen and copy it to the clipboard (the clipboard is an invisible holding area for content that is copied). Its the same thing as if you copied something from a document and it is now on your clipboard waiting to be pasted in its final destination.
So, you have pressed the PrintScreen key and captured the screen. Now, how do you get that Screen Capture into an email or other application? You can open Word and create a new document. Position your cursor wherever you want the screenshot to appear.
Using your keyboard, press Ctrl + V which will Paste the screenshot in your open document. You can also click on the little keyboard icon in the toolbar. Presto! It is that easy!
You can now send this file to anyone via email, use it in a presentation, create your own little book of screenshots showing how to perform a specific task, etc. The possibilities are endless.
Now, for those who have read this far, we are going to share another neat little feature of the Windows Print Screen Key. Pressing these keys...
Alt + Print Screen
...will take a screenshot of the currently selected window, not the entire screen like the normal screenshot function. For example, if you have Excel open, but not maximized (covering entire screen), using Alt + PrintScreen will focus the capture on the Excel window.
Revised: 19 October, 2004