Q: How do I print or save an image I created with the data visualization applets?

Applets running from a web browser are not able to access your computer's storage devices or printers. Java was designed this way for security -- otherwise a malicious programmer could write an applet that could use up your printer paper and fill your hard drive with garbage.

So, to save your work you need to be a little creative. Here are some ways to do it. (These instructions are written for Windows. Similar techniques and programs are available for other operating systems -- send us the details of what works for you and we'll add it to this page.)

Method 1: Use "Alt - Print Screen"

While holding down the "Alt" key on your keyboard, press the "Print Screen" key.

This will copy the current window to the Clipboard. Switch to a program that supports pasting images from the Clipboard, such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel. Paste the image and edit, save or print it from here. You can paste into the Paint program that comes with Windows (usually found in the Start >> Programs >> Accessories menu). From Paint you can edit and print the image, or save it as a bitmap file.

This method is quick and easy, but the image is of the entire window -- including the borders and title and status bars -- see example:

It is possible to edit this image to remove the borders, but it is a little cumbersome using the image editing tools found in Paint or most word processor programs. And Paint only allows you to save the image as a bitmap -- the file size is much smaller if these images are saved as GIF or JPG files. It is easier to do it in PowerPoint. Click on the image and if you're really lucky a Picture toolbox pops open with a lttle crop tool. If not, go to View, Tools, and select the Picture toolbox. You can use this crop tool to cut out the borders.

So if you plan to be doing much of this you might want to consider using a screen capture utility.

Method 2: Use a Screen Capture Utility

There are many programs that include screen capture features that will work very well for our needs. Here are several examples, but there are many more programs available that work just as well. If you have some other graphics program already installed on your computer check to see if it can handle screen capturing.

Paint Shop Pro (PSP)

Many schools have this program installed on their computers. It is available for evaluation at http://www.jasc.com/products/psp/.

In the PSP menu go to Capture >> Setup to set the options. Then press the Capture Now button.

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With the settings shown above, PSP will create an image of the client area (the contents of the current window -- excluding the window title and borders) every time Ctrl-F11 is pressed.

The new images can be printed, and saved in a wide variety of graphics formats.

Irfanview

This program is free for noncommercial use (and only $10 for anyone else). It's hard to beat at any price. It does a lot more than screen captures.

In the Irfanview menu go to Options >> Capture.

ScreenHunter 1.0

This little utility only does screen captures, but it does them well, it's small, and it's free.

It can be set to capture the client area to the clipboard, to a file, or both.

Download it from the Wisdom-soft website

They also have other versions of ScreenHunter that have more features, but are not free. Compare them here.