Preview, print, and export a PDF

Microsoft’s preview-and-print page shows this path: click the File tab; click Print to see a preview of the layout before anything is printed; review the settings for any properties you might want to change; and when the printer and document settings look the way you want, click Print.

Look at the preview the way you would look at a photocopied page. Are the margins comfortable? Does the heading still show? Is a table cut off at the edge? Did a header collide with the title? If something looks wrong, press Escape or click back to the document (the exact control differs), fix the page, save, and preview again. It is cheaper to fix a heading now than to print three copies that hide the last line.

Ask learning-centre or library staff which printer to use, and whether you should print at all. Some sites prefer a PDF (Chapter 2) so you can email the file or print at the desk. Do not print other people’s documents, and do not print fifty copies of a practice letter. One copy, with permission, is enough to see how the paper looks.

Save before you print. Microsoft notes that some File-tab actions cannot be undone; printing is not the same as saving, and a paper copy does not replace the file on the computer. If the preview looks crowded, try Normal margins again or shorten one paragraph rather than shrinking every font.

A PDF is a file that Microsoft describes as looking the same on most computers, often with a smaller file size, and useful when you want something that will be read (not edited) and printed — including by a commercial printer. Examples they list include resumes, legal documents, and newsletters. Your practice letter or notice is a gentle version of that idea: a page you can share or print without asking the other person to own Word.

Microsoft also gives an important caution (opened 10 November 2026): many programs, including Word, can open and edit PDF files. Simply sharing something as a PDF is not enough to guarantee that the recipient cannot change it. Do not treat a PDF as a locked legal seal.

To create a PDF from Word on Windows, Microsoft’s steps are: if the file was previously saved, select File > Save a Copy; if it is unsaved, select File > Save As or Save a Copy. Select Browse to choose a location. In the drop-down list, select PDF, then select Save. You can select More Options > Options to customise the PDF. To make the document easier for screen-reading software to read, Microsoft says to select Document structure tags for accessibility. Other options (page range, bookmarks, passwords) exist; you do not need a password for a practice file, and you should not lock staff out of a file they must open.

On a Mac, Microsoft lists File > Save As or Save a Copy, then File Format > PDF. Word for the web can save a basic PDF from File > Print by choosing Save as PDF. This course follows the Windows desktop steps above and notes that other screens differ.

You now have the pieces of a basic Word habit: start the program, type and select, save with a name, format with the Home tab, apply a heading style, set a simple page, check Canadian spelling, add a small table or a picture with alt text when the page needs one, and preview before you print or export.

The capstone asks you to finish one page — the letter or the notice — with:

• Canadian spelling
• a heading style on the title
• a short list
• a PDF export

Print only if staff agree. The capstone is practice and is not graded. After you try it, take the final exam. The exam is the only graded piece. The pass mark is 70 percent (21 out of 30). You have two attempts. The certificate is a sample of completion; it is not MOS, not college credit, and not a promise of work.

If a button on your screen does not match a practice drawing, ask. Word looks a little different on each computer, and this course said that from the first lesson.

1. Save your letter or notice.
2. Preview it with File > Print. Fix and save if something looks wrong.
3. Export a PDF with File > Save a Copy or Save As, choose PDF, and Save. If you see Options, leave Document structure tags for accessibility selected.
4. Print only if staff say you may.
5. Complete the capstone checklist below.

When would you rather send a Word file (so someone can edit it) and when would you rather send a PDF (so the page is easier to open and print)?

This capstone sits after Lesson 10. It pulls the course together: you finish one page — the letter starter or the notice starter — with Canadian spelling, a heading style, a short list, and a PDF export.

This is not legal, career, or immigration advice, not a real booking, and not a real community event. Use the sample text we wrote. Do not type a Social Insurance Number, a password, a real bank number, or anyone else’s private details.

### What to build

1. Open either Word-Basics-Letter-Starter-Sample-Only.docx or Word-Basics-Notice-Template-Sample-Only.docx.
2. File > Save As (or Save a Copy) with a name such as yourname-hall-letter-practice.docx or yourname-centre-notice-practice.docx.
3. Apply Heading 1 (or Title) to the real title in the body. On the notice, that is “Saturday market at the community centre.” On the letter, add a short title such as “Hall booking question” if you need one.
4. Replace placeholders such as [Your name] with practice words. Do not use real private numbers.
5. Format a short list (Home > Bullets or Numbering). The notice already has a “Bring” list; the letter can turn two questions into a numbered list.
6. Review > Language > Set Proofing Language and look for a Canadian English option if it appears. Read suggestions. Keep *centre*, *colour*, *cheque*, and *practise* (verb) / *practice* (noun).
7. Optional extras from earlier lessons: Normal margins; a short header that repeats a label while the real title stays in the body; a tiny table with Header row; a picture with one or two sentences of alt text.
8. File > Print to preview. Fix and save if something is cut off.
9. File > Save a Copy or Save As → Browse → PDF → Save. If you see Options, leave Document structure tags for accessibility selected. Do not add a password on a shared computer.
10. Print only if staff agree. Keep both the Word file and the PDF.

### Self-check / model answer

<details> <summary>Show the model answer</summary>

• One finished page (letter or notice), saved under a clear name.
• The title in the body uses a heading style.
• A short list is formatted as bullets or numbers.
• Canadian spellings are kept; leftover [placeholders] are gone.
• A PDF export exists beside the Word file.
• No SIN, password, or other private number appears.
• If a header was added, the important title is still in the body.
• The page is clearly sample practice, not a real booking or event.

</details>