Printing Tables, Forms, Queries & Reports

Printing Tables, Forms, Queries & Reports

Printing is the final practical skill in the Outputs category, and the exam tests it across every object type covered in this module: tables, forms, query results, and reports. The core idea to remember is that almost anything visible on screen in the database application can be sent to a printer, but the print options available -- and what actually appears on the page -- depend on which object is being printed.

Page Setup: Orientation and Paper Size

Before printing, the page layout should be checked and adjusted using the application's Page Setup (or Print Setup) options:

• Orientation -- choose between portrait (taller than wide, the default for most documents) and landscape (wider than tall, useful for tables or reports with many columns that would otherwise be cut off).
• Paper size -- choose the physical paper size the printout is designed for (for example, A4 or Letter), matching what the printer is loaded with.

Getting orientation and paper size right before printing avoids wasted paper and truncated columns -- a wide table with many fields is a classic case where switching from portrait to landscape prevents the rightmost columns from being cut off the page.

Printing a Table

When printing directly from a table (its Datasheet view), you should know the different print scopes available:

Choosing the right scope avoids printing dozens of unnecessary pages when only a specific page or a handful of selected records are actually needed.

Printing a Form

A form can also be printed, either as all records or as specific page(s), using the form's own layout -- meaning the printed output mirrors the on-screen form design (fields arranged the way the form was built), rather than the plain row-and-column layout of a table. This is useful when a physical copy of an individual record is needed in the same visual format used for data entry -- for example, printing a single completed registration form to file or hand to someone.

Printing a Query Result

A query result can be printed the same way a table can -- the printed output reflects exactly what the query currently displays: the specific fields, the filtered/sorted records, and the order the query criteria produced. This makes printing a query result different from printing the whole table, since only the retrieved subset of data appears on the page. If a question describes printing "only the records matching certain criteria" rather than the entire table, the query result -- not the raw table -- is what is actually being printed.

Printing a Report

Reports are the object most purpose-built for printing, since they are already formatted with headings, groupings, and summary calculations designed for a page layout. Printing a report allows choosing:

• Specific page(s) -- for example, printing only pages 2-4 of a long report.
• The complete report -- printing every page from start to finish.

Because a report was already designed for print (see the previous section on report headers/footers and grouping), printing a report typically requires the least additional setup compared with printing a table or query result -- the formatting work has already been done when the report was created.

Using Print Preview

Before sending anything to the printer, it is good practice to open Print Preview, which shows exactly how the table, form, query result, or report will look on the page without wasting paper. Print Preview is where orientation and paper-size problems become visible -- for example, seeing that a table's rightmost columns are pushed onto a second, mostly blank page is a clear sign to switch from portrait to landscape before printing for real. Many print dialogs also let you confirm the print scope (current page, selection, or all) one more time from within preview, which is the last checkpoint before committing pages to the printer.

Putting It Together

A simple way to keep these straight for the exam:

• Table -> print a page, selected records, or the whole table (plain datasheet layout).
• Form -> print all or specific pages, using the form's own layout.
• Query result -> print exactly what the query currently returns.
• Report -> print specific pages or the complete report (already formatted for output).
• Orientation and paper size apply to all of the above and should be checked in Page Setup before printing, especially for wide tables or reports.

Exam Tips

• Landscape orientation is the usual fix for tables/reports with too many columns to fit on a portrait page.
• "Print selected records" refers to records you have manually highlighted before printing -- not a filter or a query.
• Printing a form preserves the form's field layout; printing a table does not.
• A query result print reflects the query's criteria and sort order at the moment of printing, not the full underlying table.