Microsoft Word 2003 Printing and Print Preview – Toggle Updating Fields/Links When Printing

Word 2003 can be configured to automatically update fields and links before printing a document. This updates items such as a table of contents, linked documents, cross-references, etc. before the document goes to the printer.

In some instances, this may be beneficial in that it saves you time – you don’t have to automatically select all text in the document and choose “Update Fields” manually. However, if some of the field or linked documents show incorrect information, or if some of the cross-reference codes are faulty, you could end up with a printed document that looks completely different than what you have onscreen.

To toggle updating fields and/or links when printing a Word 2003 document:

1. Choose “Tools” then “Options”.
2. When the “Options” multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the “Print” tab.
3. Check or uncheck “Update fields” and/or “Update links” as desired.
4. Press “OK” to close the dialog box.