Making a screenshot

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Sometimes you may want to blog about something you’ve seen on your computer screen. For that, screenshots are the way to go. Screenshots can also come in handy when trying to explain something to Support staff that they may not be able to reproduce from their end. Here’s how to create a screenshot on your particular operating system:

Windows

Find the Print Screen key.

• Your key may just have “PrtScn” written on it, as shown above.
• When what you want is displayed on the screen, press that key.
• Then open the graphics program you use (Paint, GIMP, Photoshop, GIMPshop, Paintshop Pro, Irfanview, Photofiltre – there are many more)
• You now need to paste the image into the program. This can be done by checking the Edit menu, by clicking in the main area and pressing ctrl-v, or by the File > New menu. Each program is different.
• Once you have the image, you can edit it, resize it, or do anything else you need to do (like add annotations).
• You then need to export it or save it. It must be as one of these if you wish to blog the image:
  .jpg
  .jpeg
  .gif
  .png
• You can then upload the image to your blog or send it to Support as an attachment if you have been asked.

Never send an image that you have pasted into a word-processor such as Word / Open Office to Support. These cannot be used.

Macintosh

There are a couple of choices:

• apple + shift + 3 will save a screenshot of your entire screen area
• apple + shift + 4 to get a cursor with which you can select just the area you wish to capture.
• apple + shift + 4 then space then click on the specific window you want to capture.
• Macs automatically save your screenshot as a file called “Picture 1.png” on your Desktop.
• You can then upload the image to your blog or send it to Support if you have been asked.

Never send an image that you have pasted into a word-processor such as Word to Support. These cannot be used.
Sending .tiff images to Support is okay.

Linux

You can use the PrtScn button, or you can go Application > Accessories > Take Screenshot

• You then need to export it or save it. It must be as one of these if you wish to blog the image:
  .jpg
  .jpeg
  .gif
  .png
• You can then upload the image to your blog or send it to Support if you have been asked.

Never send an image that you have pasted into a word-processor such as Open Office to Support. These cannot be used.

Last modified: June 1, 2009