How to Print an Email: A Comprehensive Guide with Detailed Steps

In today’s digital age, while we primarily communicate through screens, there are still times when printing an email becomes necessary. Whether you need a physical copy for records, to share with someone who isn’t tech-savvy, or simply prefer to review information on paper, knowing how to print an email effectively is a valuable skill. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process, covering various email clients and scenarios, ensuring you can print your emails with ease and precision.

Why Might You Need to Print an Email?

Before diving into the ‘how,’ let’s quickly consider why you might need to print an email:

• Record Keeping: For important transactions, contracts, or official correspondence, having a printed copy can be a secure backup.
• Sharing with Others: When sharing information with individuals who don’t have regular access to email or prefer physical documents.
• Review and Annotation: Some people find it easier to read and annotate printed documents than on a screen.
• Archiving: For long-term storage or for archiving important communications.
• Legal Purposes: In certain legal or official proceedings, a hard copy of an email may be required as evidence.
• Accessibility: Providing documents in a readable format for someone with vision impairments or others who may have challenges with screen based text.

General Steps for Printing an Email

The basic steps for printing an email are quite similar across most email clients. Here’s a general outline you can follow:

1. Open the Email: Locate the email you want to print and open it within your email client (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail).
2. Locate the Print Option: Usually, you’ll find a ‘Print’ option or icon within the email interface. This is often represented by a printer icon or located under a ‘File’ menu.
3. Select Printing Options: Before printing, you might have options like choosing the printer, number of copies, page range, and layout.
4. Preview (Optional but Recommended): Most email clients allow you to preview the email before printing. This helps ensure everything will print as expected.
5. Print: Click the ‘Print’ button to send the email to your printer.

Printing Emails from Different Email Clients

Now, let’s explore how to print emails from some of the most popular email clients, providing detailed, step-by-step instructions.

Printing Emails in Gmail

Gmail is one of the most widely used email services. Here’s how to print emails using it:

1. Open Gmail: Go to www.gmail.com and log in to your account.
2. Select the Email: Locate the email you wish to print and click on it to open it.
3. Locate the Print Icon: In the upper-right corner of the opened email, you will find a ‘More’ icon (three vertical dots). Click on this icon.
4. Select Print: In the dropdown menu, click the ‘Print’ option. This opens a print dialog box.
5. Printing Options:
   • Destination: Select your preferred printer from the dropdown menu. If your printer isn’t listed, make sure it’s properly installed and connected.
   • Pages: Choose to print all pages or a specific range.
   • Layout: Select portrait or landscape orientation.
   • Colors: If you have a color printer, you can choose to print in color or black and white.
   • Scale: Adjust the zoom level for better fit on the printed page.
6. Preview: Take advantage of the preview window on the left-hand side of the dialog to view what your output is going to look like. This gives you one final opportunity to make adjustments as needed.
7. Print: Once you’ve configured the options, click the blue ‘Print’ button. The email will now be sent to your selected printer.

Printing Emails in Microsoft Outlook (Web Version)

Outlook.com is another popular web-based email client. Here’s how to print emails using the Outlook web version:

1. Open Outlook.com: Go to outlook.live.com and log into your Microsoft account.
2. Select the Email: Find the email you want to print and open it by clicking on it.
3. Locate the Print Icon: In the upper-right corner of the opened email, you’ll find a ‘More actions’ icon (three horizontal dots). Click on this icon.
4. Select Print: In the dropdown menu, click ‘Print’. This will open the print dialog box.
5. Printing Options:
   • Destination: Select your desired printer from the dropdown menu. Ensure that it’s connected and working properly.
   • Pages: Choose to print all pages or select specific page numbers.
   • Layout: Choose between portrait and landscape orientation depending on your preferences.
   • Headers and Footers: You have options for including headers and footers for your email (or not).
   • Scale: Adjust the scale to make the email fit on the page nicely.
6. Preview: Always preview your layout on the left hand side of the print dialog screen before commiting to print.
7. Print: After configuring your settings, click ‘Print’ to print your selected email.

Printing Emails in Microsoft Outlook (Desktop Application)

The desktop version of Microsoft Outlook offers a slightly different approach to printing emails:

1. Open Microsoft Outlook: Launch the Outlook application on your computer.
2. Select the Email: Find the email you want to print and open it by clicking on it.
3. Locate the Print Option: There are several ways to access the Print option:
   • File Menu: Click on ‘File’ in the top menu, then click on ‘Print’.
   • Quick Access Toolbar: If you have the Print icon added to the Quick Access Toolbar, just click it. (Printer icon)
   • Keyboard Shortcut: Use the shortcut `Ctrl + P` (Windows) or `Command + P` (Mac) to bring up the print dialog.
4. Printing Options:
   • Printer: Select your preferred printer.
   • Copies: Choose the number of copies you want to print.
   • Settings: Click ‘Print Options…’ to access more settings:
     • Print Style: Select “Table Style” or “Memo Style”. Memo style prints the email as you see it with header information. Table style presents your data in a table format.
     • Page Setup: Configure page margins, headers, footers and more.
     • Paper Size: Make sure you select the correct paper size based on what you have loaded in your printer
     • Color Options: if a color printer is selected, you can choose to print in color or grayscale.
5. Preview: You will be able to see a preview of the printed email before you finally print. This is a very important step to catch any formatting or layout issues.
6. Print: After you’re satisfied with the settings, click ‘Print’ to start printing the email.

Printing Emails in Yahoo Mail

Here’s how to print emails using Yahoo Mail:

1. Open Yahoo Mail: Go to mail.yahoo.com and log into your account.
2. Select the Email: Click on the email that you want to print from your inbox to open it.
3. Locate the Print Option: Click the ‘More’ icon (three vertical dots) at the top of the opened email.
4. Select Print: In the drop-down menu, select the “Print” option. This will open the print dialog window.
5. Printing Options:
   • Destination: Choose the correct printer from the printer options
   • Layout: Choose between portrait or landscape
   • Pages: Select if you wish to print all pages, or a subset of page numbers
   • Scale: Adjust the scale to make the email fit on the page
6. Preview: Take a minute to preview your email and make sure everything looks good on screen before you print.
7. Print: Click the ‘Print’ button, and your email will be printed.

Printing Emails on Mobile Devices (Smartphones & Tablets)

While mobile email clients often focus on digital consumption, you can still print emails from your smartphone or tablet. The steps vary a bit based on your email app and device. However, the general concept is the same. This general guideline will work in almost any device:

1. Open Email App: Launch your email app (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo Mail) on your device.
2. Select the Email: Open the email you want to print.
3. Find the ‘Share’ or ‘More’ Option: Typically, you’ll find an icon that looks like a share arrow, three dots, or some similar ‘More’ icon. Click on it.
4. Select Print: Scroll through the list of options until you see ‘Print’. Tap this option.
5. Printer Settings: Depending on your device, you’ll either see a screen with your printer settings here, or the system’s print dialog may open. Select the correct printer, number of copies, and any other settings offered.
6. Print: Tap the ‘Print’ button to print the email.

Note: Your mobile device needs to be connected to the same WiFi network as your printer for this to work properly. Some mobile printers may have their own connection method you would have to configure. Also, older printers may not be compatible with mobile printing functionality.

Troubleshooting Common Printing Problems

Sometimes, you might encounter issues when trying to print emails. Here are some common problems and their solutions:

• Printer Not Listed:
  • Make sure your printer is properly installed and connected to your computer or network.
  • Check that the printer’s drivers are up-to-date.
  • Restart your computer and printer.
• Blank Pages:
  • Ensure that the email has content that should be printed.
  • Check your printer’s ink or toner levels.
  • Clean the printer heads.
  • Try re-printing the same email, as sometimes printing errors will correct themselves.
• Formatting Issues:
  • Adjust the print settings (margins, scale) to ensure the email fits correctly on the page.
  • Try printing as ‘Plain Text’ if you’re having layout issues.
  • Use the Preview feature to see how the email will look before you print.
  • If you are using a web interface, try a different browser and see if the printing behavior is corrected.
• Incorrect Color Printing:
  • Verify that the correct color mode is selected in the print options.
  • Make sure you have ink or toner in your printer. Some printers may refuse to print in color if the printer determines that the color ink cartridges are empty or low.
• Garbled or Unreadable Text:
  • Change the printer language. Select a different printing language, such as PCL or PostScript.
  • Update the printer driver to the latest version.
  • Ensure you are not trying to print an email that has special characters that the printer does not understand.

Tips for Printing Emails Effectively

Here are some useful tips to help you get the best results when printing emails:

• Use Print Preview: Always preview your email before printing to catch any errors or formatting issues.
• Save as PDF: If you don’t need a physical copy immediately, consider saving the email as a PDF. This way, the formatting is preserved, and you can print it later.
• Print Selected Pages: If the email is long, you might not need to print every page. Select the specific page range you need to save paper and ink.
• Adjust Layout: Experiment with the page layout (portrait or landscape) and margins to make the most of the paper.
• Test Print: Before printing a large batch, do a test print to make sure your settings are correct.
• Plain Text Mode: For emails with complex formatting or graphics, try printing in plain text mode if offered for a more streamlined output.
• Check for Attachments: Be aware if there are attachments to the email. You will usually be asked whether you would also like to print these, and they may use extra resources.

Conclusion

Printing emails, while seemingly simple, can require a few steps to ensure you get the desired results. By following the detailed instructions and tips provided in this guide, you should be able to print emails from various email clients and devices effectively. Whether for record-keeping, sharing, or personal preference, knowing how to print an email properly is a valuable skill in our increasingly digital world. Don’t forget to explore the specific settings in your email client and printer to optimize your printing experience. Take a few minutes to learn your settings, and print with precision and confidence!