I’d mentioned that I got a very cool Apple Aluminum keyboard for my Windows Vista computer. I am just loving this keyboard! I can type faster and I make fewer typing errors. It has made me more productive, and there’s nothing like a new gadget to inspire and motivate a person!

I’d said that some specialized keys don’t work for me (like the media keys, which I never used on PC keyboards, either). But I discovered that one of my favorite keys is missing– the “PrtScrn” key. I do a lot of copying my desktop, for image-making and for tutorial posts.

I did a search and tried all the button variations I found online: Ctrl + Command + Fn + Shift + 3; Shift + Command + 4; Fn + Command + F11; argh! It wasn’t long before my fingers were aching from all the Twister-like variations I had to try, like Plantar Fasciitis on the hand, lol. And still nothing worked.

I figured that I’d have to download some specialty software to get the function to work. I try not to go that route if I possibly can, because the last thing I need is another little program running in the background (or some weirdo thrid-party hack that is buggy). But then I read about something that Vista has already! It’s called Snipping Tool. Oh my goodness, this was just what I needed, and it is on my computer already! And better still, it’s sleek, it’s small, and it’s very easy to use. It’s even better than PrtScrn, because I can add some graphics (like highlighted text, or “write” with a colored pen of my choice.” Cool!

Below is a screenshot I took using Snipping Tool. It’s a screenshot of my blog post. I doodled on the image with a few of Snipping Tools features. It’s really a fun program.

And the next screenshot is something I took off Wikipedia. Snipping Tool saves/copies the images as JPEG files, which are the standard and most common image files– so everything is very compatible with everything else.

So if you have Vista and are looking for a keen little copying program, look for Snipping Tool. The easiest way to find it is to clck on your Vista “Start” button (the small round button on the bottom left hand side of your screen) and type in Snipping in the search bar. If you have it, it will show right up. If you want to save the shortcut to a more convenient location so you can access it quicker next time, right-click on the title “Snipping Tool.” A small menu will appear. Choose “Pin to Start Menu.” From now on, when you click on the Start button, you’ll see the Snipping Tool icon listed in your Start Menu for easy access.

Tags: Apple, keyboard, PrtScrn, Snipping Tool, Vista