Friday, October 17, 2008

Here's how it's done...#2 Printkey, my best friend.

Ok folks, I want to introduce you to my best friend, my right hand man, Printkey. Printkey is a freeware program that I have been using since 1998. That's right, for 10 years. It is a tiny program that, once you execute it, sits in your system tray and waits for you to need it.

So what does it do? It allows you to take screen captures of whatever you are looking at your monitor, and quickly save them as some form of image file. In fact, you can even crop and edit them to suit your needs. You simply hit your "PrtScn" key, and you hear an audible "snap" of a typewriter key, and the program pops up with a picture of your desktop, which you can then edit to your heart's content. Once you get the hang of cropping, you will be able to open up any image on your computer, hit your PrtScn button, crop the picture down to any part you wish, and save as a brand new image. INCREDIBLY easy.

I LOVE this thing. I have used it repeatedly...a thousand times in ten years. And it's free. I have created a download link, and I hope it brings you as much joy as it has me.

After you click below, next click on the "free user" button, and simply wait for the resulting clock to run out. Then click on the download link. Good Luck!

Download Here

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17 comments:

Wep said...

I have a Mac which has something similar and I totally miss it on my PC at work :)

Thanks!

Kristen said...

How is that different that the Ctrl Pnt Scrn?

Unknown said...

well for whatever reason ctrl/prt scr has never worked for me...so i am off to try this out Thanks!

Jay @halftime lessons said...

Ctrl Pnt Scrn works to then paste it in a Word document, or email, etc...but this little proggie allows you to save it directly to an image file...jpg, gif, or the like. AND, you can crop and select whatever is on your screen. This part is HUGE. When you simply Ctrl Pnt Scrn, you have to past it into a new doc, and then your editing options are extremely limited.

Jay

Kristina P. said...

I've never even heard of this! I'm totally doing it.

AnnieRoso said...

Handy! Will download tomorrow -- too tired now.

Thanks, Jay!

Wendyburd1 said...

I just print screen and paste it in Paint Shop Pro...they think they can STOP me from getting the pictures I Want?! Mwahahaha

Jillene said...

Thanks for the info!! I will be checking this out asap!!

Cass. Just Curious said...

That is SO awesome. Downloaded and using it now!

Raging Dad said...

Hey that's great. I use a Mac at home, but a PC at work and I've never been able to do this so simply. Thanks for the tip!

Deb said...

you're getting way too ahead of me on all this blog stuff. could you give me an example of why i would want to use this? i don't know if i understand. again...chlorine fumes on the brain

Jenni said...

Hey! Coooooool! Thanks Jay!

Ash said...

Wonderful!! I have a Mac for freelance gigs, but no internal modem - long story - so I'm bound to this damn PC. Like shoving a square peg in a round hole. Drives. me. nuts.

I'm so checking this out!

Thanks, Em

Ali said...

Keep these tips coming!

Wendyburd1 said...

deb - well when you see a pic you want and they have disabled save image as, etc. you can soooo copy it and crop the picture of your scene so you just have that pic you wanted...i love cheating! LOL

Ann Harrison said...

Jay this is so great. Thank you!
I actually need this today. Yes, this very day!
What are the chances?

jen aka mommay said...

Thanks for that! Will make things easier!!

posthumous pointer
To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of one's self; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - this is to have succeeded. - Emerson