Most people just print the MSTings straight fron the computer... which for a short, 16K MSTing might be fine. But what if you have a large, involved MSTing about 64 pages in length? Printing that many pages takes forever, even with a high-speed laser printer. And, good luck if you have a dot matrix printer. But there is a better way!

The methods outlined here not only save paper, they also saves time, and also make the MSTings very easy and convenient to read. They will also take up less storage space, meaning that you can collect more and more MSTing printouts, which we would all like to do! And this method is quite easy, once you get the hang of it.

| Method 1 (recommended for single-part MSTings) | Method 2 (recommended for multi-part MSTings, or collections of short MSTs.) |

Method 1
What you will need for this method:

• A web browser like Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer (both are free). This is the program that you have to use to view the MSTing.
• A word-processing program that can support columns (Microsoft Word is the best example)
• A laserprinter is recommended, but a dot-matrix printer can work as well, with the right fonts.

 

Step 2:
Open the MSTing in the word-processor. You may then select [Columns] (This may vary in different programs). Set your document for four columns for each page, so that more text will fit on a page. Now, you must decrease the text size, in order for the MSTing to be readable. You should go to [Edit] [Select All], or hit [Ctrl]  and [A] (Apple + A). I recommend using a font size of 6 points, and Arial Narrow/Helvetica Narrow font, which will compress the text more. Arial/Helvetica  Narrow is really only used with big printers, like ink and laserjet. If you have a dot matrix printer, Courier New or any  fixed width font is no problem at all... just make sure that the size is not so small that the MSTings are unreadable. A laserprinter will allow you to print at a very small size.

If you are very knowledgeable of word processors, you may want to add page numbers at the bottom. In Microsoft Word, there is an automatic command for this in the [Insert] menu.

Step 3:
Print the MSTing.

Method 2
What you will need for this method is the following:

• A web browser like Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer (both are free). This is the program that you have to use to view the MSTing.
• A word-processing program that can support columns (Microsoft Word is the best example)
• A laserprinter is recommended, but a dot-matrix printer can work as well, with the right fonts.
• Knowledge of selecting things with the mouse, and the Copy/Paste functions.

Step 2:
Select about 10 K of text (usually about 1 or 2 full pages worth) by clicking and dragging with your mouse. Do not try to select the entire MSTing, or it won't work... you have to do this a little bit at a time.
How much you should select depends on your computer. If you have a slow, or old computer, don't select that much... maybe about a page or so. With a new machine running a state-of-the-art operating system (like Windows NT), you may be able to select a couple pages at once. Feel free to expiriment with this.

Step 3:
Once your MSTing text is selected (in the browser), now you must copy. Go to [Edit] [Copy] on the menubar at top, or press the [Ctrl] and [C] keys (on Macs, it will be Apple + C). Now, click on the word processor window. Place your insertion point ( the flashing "|") at the beginning of the document, and then go to [Edit] [Paste], or press the [Ctrl] and [V] keys. (Apple + V in Macintosh). Go back to the MSTing window, and select another block of text beginning at the end of your first section, copy it and then paste it into the word processor. Repeat as necessary.

Once you have placed the entire MSTing into the word processor, be sure to save it. Then, go to the [Format] menu, and select [Columns] (This may vary in different programs). Set your document for four columns for each page, so that more text will fit on a page. Now, you must decrease the text size, in order for the MSTing to be readable. You should go to [Edit] [Select All], or hit [Ctrl]  and [A] (Apple + A). I recommend using a font size of 6 points, and Arial Narrow/Helvetica Narrow font, which will compress the text more. Arial/Helvetica  Narrow is really only used with big printers, like ink and laserjet. If you have a dot matrix printer, Courier New or any  fixed width font is no problem at all... just make sure that the size is not so small that the MSTings are unreadable. A laserprinter will allow you to print at a very small size.

If you are very knowledgeable of word processors, you may want to add page numbers at the bottom. In Microsoft Word, there is an automatic command for this in the [Insert] menu.

Step 4:
Print the MSTing.

Hopefully, these methods will be beneficial to all MSTers. If you have any questions, e-mail Seth Triggs at sethtriggs@yahoo.com , or use AOL IM and call SethTriggs.

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