PrintScreen and Multiple Monitors

[Nathan Sokalski]

I recently added a second monitor to my system. I know how to do all the
important things, such as maximize to one monitor, set the position using
the Display dialog, etc. My question is about using the PrintScreen button
to get a screenshot. Pressing the PrintScreen button copies a screenshot of
both monitors (as one image) to the clipboard, which is basically what I
expected. I would like to know if there is a way to get a screenshot of just
one of the monitors. I know how to use Alt+PrintScreen to get a screenshot
of the active window, and I can obviously edit the screenshot of both
monitors, but this is somewhat inefficient and time consuming. Is there a
way to get a screenshot of just one monitor? Thanks.

 

[Paul]

I recently added a second monitor to my system. I know how to do all the
important things, such as maximize to one monitor, set the position using
the Display dialog, etc. My question is about using the PrintScreen button
to get a screenshot. Pressing the PrintScreen button copies a screenshot of
both monitors (as one image) to the clipboard, which is basically what I
expected. I would like to know if there is a way to get a screenshot of just
one of the monitors. I know how to use Alt+PrintScreen to get a screenshot
of the active window, and I can obviously edit the screenshot of both
monitors, but this is somewhat inefficient and time consuming. Is there a
way to get a screenshot of just one monitor? Thanks.

What is wrong with just snipping the unwanted bits with a picture editor ?

You can get a copy of GIMP, which has a lot of the same functions as
Photoshop. It is a picture editor.

http://gimp.org/downloads/

Once you install GIMP, see File:Acquire:Screenshot and select "Grab the Whole Screen".
It might not actually grab the whole screen...

Paul

 

[LVTravel]

I recently added a second monitor to my system. I know how to do all the
important things, such as maximize to one monitor, set the position using
the Display dialog, etc. My question is about using the PrintScreen button
to get a screenshot. Pressing the PrintScreen button copies a screenshot
of both monitors (as one image) to the clipboard, which is basically what
I expected. I would like to know if there is a way to get a screenshot of
just one of the monitors. I know how to use Alt+PrintScreen to get a
screenshot of the active window, and I can obviously edit the screenshot
of both monitors, but this is somewhat inefficient and time consuming. Is
there a way to get a screenshot of just one monitor? Thanks.

I use a free program called Screen Hunter 5 Free from
http://www.wisdom-soft.com/

With the program installed you can set it to capture just what you want to
capture by clicking and dragging across the screen. I use this feature
frequently to capture just exactly the image I want. It will capture to a
auto-number-incrementing file name in a location you select or to the
clipboard. Works well and have never had any issues with their software. I
also use their Free Auto Screen Recorder for different reasons. (I have no
relationship with the company other than a happy customer.)

 

[Bob]

MWSnap Freeware
screen capture tool
http://www.snapfiles.com/get/mwsnap.html

 

[Nathan Sokalski]

There is nothing "wrong" with using a graphics editor, but the purpose of
using the PrintScreen button is convenience. Here is a scenario in which
using a graphics editor would not be good. If you are taking screenshots of
the different stages of some procedure, you will obviously have a number of
screenshots. If you have to edit every one of these, it could become a very
inefficient process. Yes, using a graphics editor would work, but it would
significantly slow down the process. As for using external software, that
might work, but the need to open an extra piece of software just to do a
simple thing like a screenshot is not exactly desirable.

I probably sound a little bit like a lazy nit-picker here, but please don't
interpret me that way. I appreciate all the input, and it could be useful at
some point, but my main reason for this posting was more to find out if
there is a way to do it using the PrintScreen key; finding a way to get an
image of just one of the monitors was never the question or problem. Thanks.

 

[Bob]

If you think clicking the mouse is less convenient then tapping the Print
Screen key then you do sound a **lot** like a lazy nit-picker.

 

[Bob I]

try Alt + Printscreen

 

[Richard]

I recently added a second monitor to my system. I know how to do all the
important things, such as maximize to one monitor, set the position using
the Display dialog, etc. My question is about using the PrintScreen button
to get a screenshot. Pressing the PrintScreen button copies a screenshot of
both monitors (as one image) to the clipboard, which is basically what I
expected. I would like to know if there is a way to get a screenshot of
just one of the monitors. I know how to use Alt+PrintScreen to get a
screenshot of the active window, and I can obviously edit the screenshot of
both monitors, but this is somewhat inefficient and time consuming. Is
there a way to get a screenshot of just one monitor? Thanks.

Hi Nathan, AFAIK, within the Windows framework, you only have PrintScreen
and the ALT+PrintScreen key combination. My current setup is single monitor,
so I can't experiment - have you tried other key combinations with
PrintScreen? As for your question, well, if you "maximize to one monitor"
and that is the "active window", then ALT-PrintScreen could be used to "get
a screenshot of just one monitor" - right? (Did I miss something?

FWIW. --Richard

 

[Nathan Sokalski]

What I meant to say was that this is a question of curiosity; an attempt to
learn more. If everybody just did everything using only the features or
methods they already knew about and never asked any questions, how much
would you know about how to use Windows?

 

[Nathan Sokalski]

I know about Alt+PrintScreen, but that is not the same thing.
Alt+PrintScreen takes a screenshot of the active window. However, if the
active window is not maximized or is stretched across both monitors, this
will not do what I am asking for.

 

[Nathan Sokalski]

Not completely. Because only one of the monitors has the taskbar at the
bottom, screenshots of the two monitors would look the same (except for the
slightly different dimensions) with Alt+PrintScreen and maximized windows,
but a regular PrintScreen (if you could do them separately for the two
monitors) would not look the same because of the taskbar. I know that there
are ways to hide the taskbar, but like I said in some of the earlier posts,
this is a question of curiosity and learning, finding a way to get the
result product is easy.