Preview
The print preview option, available for many SwissSys charts, lets you inspect any page of your printout before sending it to the printer. For most purposes it provides an accurate representation (WYSIWYG - What You See Is What You Get), but some fonts may not reproduce exactly on screen.
The preview is more than a viewer. Its toolbar lets you choose a printer, print with one click, save a PDF, fit the report to a target page count, change zoom and orientation, and adjust fonts and margins - all without leaving the window.
Preview Toolbar
The toolbar runs across the top of the preview window. Controls are grouped left to right.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Previous / Next page (arrow buttons) | Step backward or forward one page. Disabled at the first and last page. |
| Page X of Y | Shows the current page and the total page count. |
| Smart | Toggles Smart Printing, which auto-fits the content to the page and auto-selects orientation. When on, the orientation toggle is hidden. |
| Fit: | Auto-size the report to a target page count. Choose Auto (no override), or 1 page through 5 pages. Picking a page target turns Smart off so your chosen size carries through to print. |
| - / + | Zoom out and zoom in. The label between them shows the current magnification (for example 1.0x, or Auto: 1.0x when Smart Printing is on). |
| Portrait / Landscape | Toggles page orientation. Hidden while Smart Printing is on (orientation is then chosen automatically). |
| Page Setup… | Opens the Page Setup dialog to adjust page margins. |
| Fonts… | Opens the Fonts dialog to change report fonts. |
| G | Toggles grid lines on the printout. |
| C | Toggles horizontal centering of cell data. |
| T | Toggles the timestamp on the printout. |
| Print Settings… | Opens the Windows printer-selection dialog (choose printer, duplex, copies, and so on). The chosen printer is used by the Print button. |
| OK | Saves your preview settings and closes without printing. |
| Cancel | Discards any changes made in preview and closes (also Esc). |
| PDF… | Saves the current report as a PDF file. |
Prints immediately to the currently selected printer (also the P key). |
Changes you make in the preview - zoom, fit, orientation, grid lines, centering, timestamp - are applied for that
session only. Closing with Cancel (or the title-bar X, or Esc) restores the settings you started with. OK,
Print, and PDF… keep your changes.
Printing from Preview
You can print straight from the preview window without going back to the chart dialog.
- Click Print Settings… to open the Windows printer-selection dialog. Pick the printer and set duplex, copies, and paper as needed, then confirm. Selecting a different printer can change the printable area, so the Fit: target resets to Auto and the preview refreshes.
- Adjust Fit:, zoom, or Portrait / Landscape until the layout looks right.
- Click Print (or press
P) to send the report to the selected printer. The window closes and your in-preview settings stay applied.
To produce a file instead of a paper copy, click PDF…, choose a filename and folder, and save. SwissSys suggests a filename based on the section name, report type, and round.
For fixed-roster sections, the Print and PDF… buttons in preview will not print or export the chart. If you click them, SwissSys asks you to print or export from the pair chart dialog instead.
Fitting and Zooming
Two auto-fit modes are available, and only one is in charge at a time:
- Smart measures the chart and shrinks it just enough to fit the page, switching to landscape if it needs the extra width.
- Fit: binary-searches the magnification that fills the page while keeping the report within your chosen page count (1 to 5 pages). Choosing a Fit target turns Smart off.
Using -, +, or the orientation toggle counts as a manual override and resets the Fit: dropdown back to Auto. The number keys also work: + / - zoom, and 0 resets to 1.0x.
Preview Limitations
- Some fonts may display differently on screen than they will print.
- Screen resolution may affect the accuracy of fine details.
Troubleshooting Preview Display
If fonts or formatting don’t look right in the preview:
- Try a TrueType font. These typically render more accurately in preview.
- Check your screen resolution. Higher resolutions give a more accurate preview.
- Print a test page. The actual printed output may be more accurate than the screen preview.
When to Use Preview
Print preview is particularly useful for:
- Checking page breaks and layout
- Verifying font sizes and spacing
- Ensuring all content fits properly on the page
- Reviewing headers, footers, and the timestamp before printing
- Confirming the overall appearance of tournament reports
Catching formatting issues here saves paper and time before sending the document to the printer.
Related Topics
- Printing Overview - General guide to printing reports in SwissSys
- Fonts - Customize fonts for reports and printouts
- Print and Other Options - Smart printing, magnification, and name format settings