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How do I print my email with the latest Windows Live Hotmail?

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Summary: Windows Live Hotmail changed the way they display messages, and in doing so apparently changed the steps you need to take to print a message.

Since Hotmail's recent change of format, we are unable to print emails from our inboxs. The right hand side of the page is cut off and only the first page prints.

I had a suspicion that I knew what Hotmail had done, and sure enough, I went to check and said to myself "they didn't!"

They did.

The answer is not to use the print button, but to use the print button instead.

Now in case that's not clear Smile, let me explain.

One change that this latest version of Windows Live Hotmail apparently made is that they don't actually display an entire message as a single browser page. Rather, they've created a smaller window within the page in which they display only a portion of the message. The window has a scroll bar so you can move around within the message to read it. You can tell that it's not the browser's own scroll bar, because it doesn't take up the entire right hand side, and when you scroll the Hotmail header and UI don't scroll off the top.

"... it looks to me that they rendered the browser's print button useless for printing Hotmail."

When you click your browser's print button , it prints what the browser sees as the displayed page. In the past this was likely your entire message. In the current version it's all the Hotmail UI to the left and top of your message, and the window that's displaying only a portion of your message.

Not at all what you intended.

In fact, it looks to me that they rendered the browser's print button useless for printing Hotmail.

However...

If you look closely at the Hotmail UI on the page, you'll see another print button:

Hotmail's Own Print Button

If you click on this button to print your message, then Hotmail will open your message in a new window, with the entire message displayed. The good news is that the Hotmail headers, advertisements and other stuff is not included; it's just the message, and all of the message that you can then print.

It is an extra step, and it's not immediately obvious, but it does produce a reasonable result.

It's just unfortunate that the actual browser print button that so many relied upon is no longer the right thing to use to print.

If you still have a problem with the right hand portion of the message being cut off, I'll direct you to this article: Why is only the left hand part of my page printed?

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Article C3568 - November 20, 2008

Recent Comments
21 Comments

I have read all these comments and still don't have a solution.

When I use either print button, even with the print preview, I get the all the frames printed over each other. The only way I could get the actual email frame to print was to select the area, reduce the area to 75%, and then print the selection.

There has to be an easier way!!!

Thanks,
Philemene

Posted by: Philemene at May 2, 2009 9:56 PM

I was able to print pictures from hot mail...I'm working with an illustrator..this is very important for my work...what happened? I thought it was my printer....did something change...this is sooo not good....please help...thank you.

Posted by: sandra at May 26, 2009 8:51 PM

I've been having a printing problem in hotmail since April - right side cut off even in "shrink to print/ bottom cut off. ried to download to flashdrive to print from there. Hotmail won't allow saving a WEB Page. SO I CALLED THE F.T.C. to complain because I pay hotmail $21 a year for storage. If I cannot print, this is a form of fraud, as they are taking my money & I have an account. They gave me a docket # to prefer to their attorneys. They want to research HOW MANY OF YOU ARE ALSO HAVING THIS PROBLEM. Everyone should call the F.T.C. toll free in Wash. D.C. to compalin! Then maybe Microsoft will fix this.Meanwhile I still need to do something. Haven't been able to print second pages of important bills.

Posted by: renee greenberg at June 15, 2009 12:16 PM

Advice didn't work Hot Mail print Icon useless.
It prints the whole screen still.

Posted by: Gerald Little at June 21, 2009 10:27 PM

In this article it shows the following
New, Delete, Junk, Mark as, Move to, a printer picture, an up arrow, a down arrow and finally POP.

I have nothing past the Move to item.

How do I get the rest of the items that are on your picture so that I can print a proper page ????

Ernie Brunton

Posted by: Ernie Brunton at July 29, 2009 2:02 PM

why is it when i print email I get a lisitng of All my directories printing out on the left - this can take several pages of print wiht only this down the left side.

Posted by: Ian at July 30, 2009 8:43 PM

In your drawing on page2 of this article it shows
New, Delete, Junk, Mark as, Move to, Picture of printer, up arrow, down arrow, POP.

On my screen there is nothing after " Move to "

How do I fix this

Ernie Brunton

Posted by: Ernie Brunton at August 5, 2009 6:25 AM

I forward it to G mail then print it
Ernie

Posted by: Ernie Brunton at August 9, 2009 7:07 AM

Icannot get any emails up or delite them for the past four weeks, can you help me please I have eighteen messages on my sreen

Posted by: june journeaux at August 24, 2009 8:02 AM

Microsoft have yet again fixed something that wasn't broken and the fix doesn't work! No change there then.

Posted by: Vic Jennings at September 14, 2009 8:26 AM

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