From time to time, clients will have issues with computer programs not usually associated with a graphic or web design service, but still, we are asked if we might know the solution. Our expertise in small business success, is backed by a wide variety of skills – one of them is troubleshooting.

In this case, a client was having trouble printing from Microsoft Office – specifically a protected form. I tinkered around looking for some obvious answers and then turned to the internet to research. I came across a blog that described the problem perfectly: “When the form was printed, the text within the form would overlap on top of each other and create a single hieroglyphic character per line. We discovered they were normal characters, they had just stacked on top of each other.” I knew this person had experienced the same problem.

***If you have Office 2007, then follow these instructions:

STEP 1:
Close out of Microsoft Word

STEP 2:
Open up Microsoft Word. There is no need to open the document you want to print.

STEP 3:
Click the Office Button at the top left of the page (it’s the one with the MS Office logo on it),

STEP 4:
Click “Word Options” at the bottom of that drop down box,

STEP 5:
Choose “Advanced” from the menu on the left,

STEP 6:
Scroll down through the categories in the body of the window until you get to “Print”,

STEP 7:
Uncheck the second option “Print in Background”,

STEP 8:
Choose Ok at bottom of page.

STEP 9:
Open and Print your document!

If you have an older version of Office, the solution to the problem is shown below.

STEP 1:

Close out of Microsoft Word

STEP 2:
Open up Microsoft Word. There is no need to open the document you want to print.

STEP 3:
Go to: Tools > Options > Print (Tab) >

STEP 4:
Uncheck “Background printing”

Click OK

STEP 5:
Close out of Microsoft Word

STEP 6:
Browse to the document you want to print and double click it or open Microsoft Word and do a File > Open

STEP 7:
PRINT!

Hope this helps!