Word for Windows: Effect of the Draft Output Print Option

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a, 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c

SUMMARY

Version 2.0 of Word for Windows provides a printing option called Draft Output. (In versions 1.0, 1.1, and 1.1a, this option is called Draft.) This option allows you to quickly print a draft copy containing the text of your document only; no graphics will be printed if you select the Draft Output check box. The Draft Output option produces different results on different printers.

Note: The Draft Output option is distinct from draft options that are available in the Setup dialog boxes of some printer drivers.

This article contains the following sections:

• How the Draft Output Option Affects Different Printers
• Printer Driver Draft Option
• Graphics Do Not Print Using GENDRV.DLL
• Draft Output Option Has No Effect Printing to HP LaserJet 4
• Revision Marks and the Draft Option

MORE INFORMATION

You can access the Draft Output check box in Word for Windows with the following steps:

1. From the File menu, choose Print.

2. Choose the Options button.

3. In Word version 2.0 or 2.0a, select the Draft Output check box. In Word version 1.0, 1.1, or 1.1a, select the Draft check box. Choose the OK button.

How the Draft Output Option Affects Different Printers

In general, if you select the Draft Output check box, pictures and borders are not printed; however, it is important to note the following exceptions:

• PostScript printers print both pictures and borders even when the Draft Output check box is selected. PostScript printers cannot print in draft mode; therefore, the Draft Output setting has no effect on print jobs sent to PostScript printers.
• HP LaserJet Series printers print borders even when the Draft Output check box is selected.
• On dot-matrix printers, text is unaffected by the Draft Output setting, unless you are using bitmap fonts. If you print bitmap fonts on a dot-matrix printer with the Draft Output option selected, character formatting (such as italic and underline) may not be printed. When you print TrueType fonts on a dot-matrix or an HP DeskJet printer, underlining may not be printed if the Draft Output check box is selected.

Printer Driver Draft Option

Some printers have a draft option that you can access through the Microsoft Windows printer driver. To select this option, use the following steps:

1. In the Control Panel, choose the Printers icon.

2. In the Installed Printers box, select your printer.

3. In Windows 3.1, choose the Setup button, then choose the Options button. In Windows 3.0, choose the Configure button, then close the Control Panel.

4. Choose the Options button, and select the Draft check box. Choose the OK button, then close the Control Panel.

To obtain a true draft-quality printout, you must select the available draft options: the Word for Windows Draft Output check box and the draft option on the printer driver, if available. These settings provide the quickest printing speed with the least amount of formatting.

Graphics Do Not Print Using GENDRV.DLL

With printers that use GENDRV.DLL, if you select and then cancel the Draft Output printing option, graphics do not print until you exit and restart Word or switch to another printer using the Print Setup command from the File menu. The following printers use GENDRV.DLL:

   Canon LBP-4
   Canon LBP-8 II
   Canon LBP-8 III
   IBM Laser Printer 4019
   Olivetti DM 109
   Olivetti DM 309

Draft Output Option Has No Effect Printing to HP LaserJet 4

When you print to the Hewlett-Packard (HP) LaserJet 4 printer, the Draft Output printing option has no effect. Graphics print regardless of this setting.

Revision Marks and the Draft Option

Revision marks in Word for Windows will not print when the Draft Output printing option is selected. The added revisions will print but the vertical bars do not. The text that has strikthrough marks to indicate it will be deleted will print but the strikethrough marks will not.

Normal formatting including: Bold, Italic, and Underline print as expected.