How to print from a Metro app in Windows 8

Printing from a Windows 8 Metro app may throw you for a curve at first. But the process works fine once you get used to it.

For the Windows 8 Release Preview, Microsoft tweaked the way you print content, at least for Metro apps. Instead of choosing a print command from within the app itself, you print using the Charms bar. Selecting the Device charm provides access to your printer, among other devices. From there you can configure the various settings for your print job.

Here's how to print from a Metro app in Windows 8:

1. Power up your printer.
2. In Windows 8, open the Metro app from which you wish to print. For this example, we'll use Internet Explorer. Open the Metro version of Internet Explorer by clicking on its Start screen tile.
3. Browse to any Web site that has a page you wish to print, such as CNET's site. Type cnet.com in the address field at the bottom of the browser screen. Click on a story that you wish to print.
4. Hover your mouse in the lower right hot corner to trigger the Charms bar. Move your mouse up the bar and click on the Devices charm. Your printer and other devices should appear in a list. Click on the name of the printer that you wish to use.
5. A Settings screen for your printer appears, from which you can change the number of copies, orientation, color mode, and other settings. Click on the More settings link for additional options, including paper size, type, and output tray.
6. Click the Back button in front of your printer name to return to the previous screen. Click on the Print button to print the Web page.

On the downside, the new Metro printing process can involve more steps than the traditional printing method where you just click on the File menu and then select Print.

But on the upside, the new print setup works the same across all Metro apps, providing a sense of consistency.

Printing Desktop applications in Windows 8 works the same as it does in previous versions of Windows. So there is a disparity between printing from Desktop apps and printing from Metro apps. But the Metro printing process works cleanly and smoothly for all of your Metro apps.