SOFTWARE: Making That Printscreen Button Worthwhile

In Windows, the PrintScreen button on your keyboard (oft named PrtSc) is actually paired with the SysReq button. Used either lately? I have. Thanks to Gadwin PrintScreen, I use the PrintScreen button all the time.

One of the issues with PrintScreen for the non-enhanced user is that it's an all or nothing affair. You get the complete desktop. Now, that's occasionally a good thing. A LOT of my less computer-inclined friends have Gadwin PrintScreen set to basically mimic the default Windows behaviour. Click it and get the whole screen. Me? I like total control.

So, when I click the PrintScreen button, a box cursor shows up and I can control WHAT I want included by simply drawing a box around the area I want captured, big or small. Then, I can directly paste the results into a Word document, an email, a Help compiler or even a spreadsheet (logo's).

Gadwin PrintScreen isn't the only screen capture program I have running on the computer (more of that in the weeks ahead). But it's the go-to utility in this area. It fits MOST of my needs for just clicking and pasting graphics into other programs. It's fast and you can set it up to be almost invisible in your work. But there's power to be had if you want more.

And I'm not just talking about the difference between the free-for-home version that I use and the Pro version.

For instance, you can have Gadwing PrintScreen capture, simultaneously, to the clipboard AND printer AND to a file! Heck, there's even a choice to capture and email the result automatically. The file process can be automated so you don't see a file save dialog. And the choices in file type are pretty good. Hint, stick with PNG, not BMP, which is the default. There's a few more bells and whistles, but you get the drift.

This is a utility to stick in your Startup folder and be done with it. Until you need it.