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I'm redesigning an application and I'd like your feedback on Print Preview.

  • Should this screen initially open as maximized?
  • Should the application remember and apply the last used screen size used?
  • What if the application is shut down and then restarted should it remember and apply the last screen size used?
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This is very much related to, if not a duplicate of "Should a desktop app open in full screen mode" ( ux.stackexchange.com/questions/18300/… ), Blatant self-plug: see my answer to that question. – Marjan Venema May 8 '12 at 14:07
If these answers specifically refer to the Print Preview window then it's not really a duplicate, although you will find useful information on that linked question. – JonW♦ May 8 '12 at 18:49

2 Answers

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To answer your questions:

  • No. It should not open maximised unless it was closed when maximised (and perhaps not even then)
  • Yes. It should remember the last screen size used.
  • Yes. It should remember the last screen size and position used even after being shut down and restarted.
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These are fine answers for the linked question, but don't specifically refer to the Print Preview window which may (or indeed may not) have different requirements. – JonW♦ May 8 '12 at 18:46
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Print preview should open at the same size (and same window, optimally) as your primary application. If a user has chosen to keep the application at a certain spot on the screen, overriding their decision will not make them happy. While your application as a whole should remember how big it is, I do not believe that your print preview should behave like a separate application with a separate memory.

There are some use cases where that would benefit the user; I'm not disagreeing with the concept. But it's different, and unexpected. The user won't realize that it 'remembered' where they had it before, they'll just be annoyed that for some reason the stupid print preview keeps popping up on their laptop screen when they had moved the app to their second monitor.

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Why should the Print Preview use the same size as the primary application? It's a window that has a totally different purpose to the interactive application so wouldn't necessarily use the same rules. – JonW♦ May 8 '12 at 18:48

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