The need to print Outlook contacts from time to time is common, however it's not that obvious how to get Outlook to print. Frustratingly, Outlook does not provide some of the functionality that I wish it had.

Some limitations are that you can't change the structure (order) of the printout. The contact is printed out in memo style with the standard Outlook items first, in alphabetical order, then any user defined fields listed next. Also the formatting and design of the printout itself leaves much to be desired.

Changing these within Outlook does not seem to be an option but there are other solutions available. One useful resource is at http://www.outlookcode.com/d/customprint.htm. It's well worth the visit.

How to print all contact fields including the notes field.
Just as our reader Ellen Rice is asking below, the need to know how to print all contact fields -- including the notes field -- is something we're asked quite regularly.

I want to print out a full copy of my contacts list with all of the fields including the information in the "notes" field. How do I do that? Thank you!!!

To accomplish this, one solution is to add that field to your current view. This can be done by selecting the Contacts folder and choosing View -> Arrange By -> Current View --> Customize Current View and clicking the Fields button. You can now remove or add any fields as you need. There's a drop-down menu under the prompt "select available fields from" and you may need to change this to see the field or fields you need to add (for example, the Notes field).

Once the field is added, you can just print it out by selecting Print under the File menu or using the icon on the icon bar.

How to (not) print photos in Contacts
Jon Wright indicates below he would like to know how to print pictures that are in his Outlook 2003 database.

Hello, I have added photos to some of my Contacts in Outlook 2003. When I go to print them out, the photo does not appear, just a memo like page. How do I get the photo to print out too?

Many users have asked about this on the various newsgroups without much success. The reason is that Outlook 2003 does not have any method of being able to do this. There's an add-on opportunity for you developers out there.

Perhaps the new version of Office due to release soon will address some of these limits currently being experienced with printing Outlook contacts.

Francine Otterson is the President of the San Diego Outlook User Group and a Microsoft Outlook MVP. She has been in the IT industry for over 10 years, providing technical support, software customization solutions and training in corporate settings, and as a consultant. She balances her work around her daughter and husband in sunny San Diego, California.