Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Printing and Exiting Word in a Macro.
Robert needs a macro that will load a document, print it out, and then exit Word. He's figured out how to load the document and start to print it, but when he tells the macro to exit Word, he sees a message saying that if he quits, any printing will be deleted.
This message is displayed because the default method for printing in Word is to print in the background, which means that the command to shut down Word is executed while the printing is still going on in the background. The solution is to make sure that background printing is turned off in the print command:
ActiveDocument.PrintOut Background:=False
Since printing will be done in the "foreground," the next macro command will not be executed until the printout is complete. In this way, the printing is very much like printing from within Windows itself: right-click a document and choose Print from the Context menu, and Word is loaded, the document printed, and Word then shuts down.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (450) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Printing and Exiting Word in a Macro.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!
Have a bunch of documents you need to print? If all the documents are open, you can use a handy little macro to print ...
Discover MoreEver need to print the mirror image of your document? This tip explains how to reverse your image so it can be used for ...
Discover MoreDo you see a notification balloon pop up from your System Tray whenever you print a document? If this bothers you, then ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: 
Comments