I just realized that my computer contains a really simple tool that you can use to print whatever you want from the screen.

I wanted to share this tool with you because I know that most people have trouble figuring out how to do this. I used to use the ‘Print Screen’ button but that shows more than what I usually want and it gets complicated in trying to crop out the parts I do want. Cropping the image and drawing on it required owning and using a graphics program.

Windows Vista comes with a really cool tool called “Snipping Tool.” You can find it under the Start menu in the Accessories folder. (If your version of Vista doesn’t seem to come with it, you can download it from Microsoft.)

The tool looks like this when activated:
Print Screen Tool

Here is a copy of something I snipped from my blog:
Screen Capture

You can snip as little or as much of the screen that you want.
You can even draw on the image in different colors or highlight parts of it.
You can save the image as a file or email it to someone.
Very cool. No drawing tool required, except for the tools that come with the Snipping Tool application.

Need instructions on how to use it? I found some here:
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/08/03/free-screen-capture-utility-in-windows-vista-snipping-tool/

Or you can find help on the tool by visiting http://www.microsoft.com and searching on “Snipping Tool.”