One of the most useful tools that you can carry in your tech support toolbox is a good screen capture software package.
Yes, you can capture a screen image using the Ctrl-PrtScn keys on your PC and it’s free. However, that method of screen capture has some limitations.
I personally use the Snagit software program from TechSmith (www.techsmith.com/snagit/). It has a 30-day free trial available and its purchase cost is $49.95.
Snagit has a number of advantages over Ctrl-PrtScn. Some of them are:
- You can set your own activation key combination
- You can determine what you want to capture (I.e. part of a screen, an active window, a full screen, etc.),
- You can capture a Window that spreads past the visible screen size (E.g. a tall web page),
- You can edit the captured image (E.g. crop, annotate, etc.)
- You can save the edited image in over 20 different file formats (including .jpg, .bmp, .tif, .gif, .png, etc.)
Accurate, annotated screen captures can help you in a number of situations. You can generate your own professional-looking documentation and operating instructions, pass on exact and annotated information to tech support companies, etc.
