Return 'print on one page' to Word 2010

A reader named Teresa C. contacted me yesterday to ask what happened to the "shrink to fit on one page" option in Microsoft Word 2010's Print Preview window. This useful feature is one of several that Microsoft chose to hide in an attempt to "simplify" the Word 2010 interface.

You can get fast access to Word 2010's option to fit a document on a single printed page (or at least attempt to) by adding this function to the Quick Access Toolbar. Click File > Options > Quick Access Toolbar to open the Customize the Quick Access Toolbar dialog. In the "Choose commands from" drop-down menu, select Print Preview Tab. Click the ambiguously named "Shrink One Page" option and then the Add button between the window's two panes.

Return the "print on one page" option to Microsoft Word 2010 via the Customize the Quick Access Toolbar dialog.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Click OK to close the dialog box. You'll see the Shrink to Fit option on the far right of Word 2010's Quick Access Toolbar in the top-left corner of the screen. When you select the Shrink to Fit button, Word will attempt to squish the document onto a single page.

Even if the document is too long to fit on one printed page, Word will shrink it to fewer pages. You can also fit more of a document on a single printed page by clicking File > Print and choosing one of the multipage options in the Page Per Sheet pop-up menu near the bottom of the dialog.