Text messages often contain some of our most emotional, funny, cherished conversations with loved ones. Wouldn‘t it be nice to print out these memorable chats to preserve forever in your scrap book or photo album? Or maybe you need to save important texts as legal evidence.
Printing Android text messages is useful for all kinds of situations. But not everyone knows how to transfer SMS texts from a mobile screen to paper. Don‘t worry though, I‘ve got you covered!
I‘ll walk you through different methods to get those valuable text message conversations off your Android and into print. We‘ll also optimize and enhance print quality along the way.
By the end, you‘ll be a pro at printing texts accurately and beautifully every time. So let‘s start exploring the wonderous world of Android message printing!
A Look Back at Text Messaging History
To fully appreciate printed texts, it helps to understand how vital messaging has been for communication:
Texting began 30 years ago in 1992 when the first SMS messages were sent over cellular networks. But mobile messaging technology evolved long before that thanks to inventions like:
- Telegraph Systems (1830s) – Allowed people to tap messages between stationary wired devices
- Radio Telegraphs (1900s) – Extended wires to send Morse code over radio wavelengths
- Telex Network (1930s) – Established teleprinter exchange allowing typed chats
- Pagers/Beepers (1950s) – Portable receivers displayed numbers prompting a call back
- Fax Machines (1960s) – Enabled text and images to be sent through phone lines
Once mobile infrastructure matured in the 1980s, companies began working on mobile messaging including SMS (Short Message Service).
The first SMS test message was sent in December 1992 from a computer to a mobile phone on Vodafone‘s UK GSM network. The text simply said "Merry Christmas".
Commercial SMS rollout began in 1995. Texting grew popular in Europe and Asia over the next several years.
By 2000, SMS saw explosive adoption rates especially among teenagers and young adults who enjoyed quickly exchanging short messages on their mobile phones.
Text messaging culture led to the development of emojis, animated GIFs, abbreviation slang like LOL, and even influenced how we communicate on social media.
Today messaging apps are the most used smartphone features worldwide, even surpassing social media.
Over 6 billion people actively use text messaging globally as of 2022.
And this figure continues rising year after year…
So clearly texting holds an integral place in mobile communication today.
Now let‘s explore why printed text conversations can be so valuable.
Top Reasons People Print Text Messages
While texting has exploded in popularity over 30 years, printing SMS messages is less common.
But millions still print out meaningful text exchanges for all kinds of great reasons:
- Preserve loving messages with your significant other like a modern love letter
- Remember funny jokes shared with friends who‘ve passed away
- Gift printed SMS chat logs to family members as a personalized present
- Submit evidence in court cases to prove communication and transactions
- Store business records like appointments, payments, communications
- Decorate walls and frames with special printed text convos around your home
- Add pages to a scrapbook capturing cherished memories and milestones
- Revisit back-and-forth conversations that shaped ideas and decisions
If important texts on your Android fall into any buckets like these, you may want to print them!
Luckily I‘ll showcase several easy printing methods below…
Method #1: Email Text Screenshots to Print
The fastest way to print an Android text conversation only takes seconds:
Step 1) Open your SMS messaging app then locate the text chat you want to print. Make sure full messages are visible on screen.
Step 2) Take a screenshot on your phone – press Power Button + Volume Down simultaneously. Screenshot saves automatically.
Step 3) Access your screenshot through the Photos gallery. Hit the Share button, then select your email app from the list.
Step 4) Email the screenshot to yourself or another device that can print.
Step 5) Open the email attachment on a computer or phone connected to a printer.
Step 6) Finally, print out the text message screenshot using whichever device received your email!
This method harnesses your Android‘s built-in screenshot feature making it super fast. But print quality may suffer slightly when expanding screenshots.
If you want crisper SMS prints, then check out wireless printing next…
Here‘s a hands-on look at emailing text screenshots:
Walkthrough for emailing and printing Android text message screenshots
Method #2: Print Android Texts Wirelessly
For text message prints with greater quality, leverage your device‘s wireless printing capacities:
Step 1) Turn on Bluetooth on your Android phone and connect wireless printer to WiFi
Step 2) Launch SMS app then use Power+Volume Down to capture desired texts via screenshot
Step 3) Edit screenshot if needed – crop, draw, add text with built-in editor
Step 4) Access screenshot in Photos, tap Share button, then select Print option
Step 5) Your Android will detect nearby printers – pick your linked one!
Step 6) Finally print text screenshot by allowing the job on both devices
Following native wireless printing protocol ensures highest print performance. But backing up texts then printing from other devices enables even more possibilities…
Below shows wireless printing setup on a Samsung Galaxy:
Wireless print configuration for text messages on Samsung Galaxy S10
Method #3: Backup & Print SMS with Android Apps
Specialized Android apps grant greater SMS access, editing tools, backups and printing functionality.
Let‘s explore two top options:
A) Link to Windows
Microsoft‘s Link to Windows app, formerly called Phone Link, seamlessly connects your Android to Windows devices.
Once paired, you can directly access mobile content like texts, photos and notifications on your Windows laptop or desktop.
This makes printing text messages super convenient:
Step 1) Download Link to Windows app on Android device and Windows PC
Step 2) Open Link to Windows on your computer > Click Messaging tab
Step 3) Right-click the SMS conversation then hit Print
Step 4) Select any preferences like page orientation > Send to your chosen printer!
Link to Windows also enables SMS management directly through your computer – copying, deleting, forwarding and searching texts.
Combined with simplified printing tools, it offers unbeatable Android text integration with Windows.
B) SMS Backup & Restore App
Alternatively, check out SMS Backup & Restore. This top-rated Android app backs up your texts to internal device storage or the cloud.
Beyond backup/restore functionality, the app also makes printing text messages easy:
Step 1) Install and launch SMS Backup & Restore
Step 2) Click side menu > Select Print from backups option
Step 3) Tap printer icon at top to preview printing
Step 4) Finalize and send text message backup to printer!
SMS Backup boasts streamlined SMS printing paired with expanded capacities like scheduling texts.
Below you can see the Print from backups feature within the app:
Built-in printing capabilities of SMS Backup & Restore app
Pro Tips for Printing Texts
Follow these professional recommendations when printing cherished conversations:
- Turn off Dark Mode – Dark backgrounds don‘t print well. Enable light mode for clarity.
- Max Quality Settings – Activate highest screenshot and printing quality in Android settings first.
- Convert into PDF – Change text images into PDF format for flexible multi-page printing.
- Photo Edit Tools – Use built-in editors to refine screenshots before printing.
- Trim Edges – Crop screenshot borders so text fills the entire image.
- Printer Adjustments – Optimize page size, orientation, font size, paper type, etc.
Tweaking preferences both on your phone and printer will ensure your text prints come out perfect every time!
Retrieve Accidentally Deleted Texts
Uh oh…just realized you deleted a precious text before backing up! Don‘t panic, you may still be able to recover deleted SMS messages with these methods:
- Check Android‘s Trash folder for any recently deleted text conversations that can be restored
- Use data recovery apps to deep scan and extract accidentally deleted texts
- Connect device to computer and run file recovery tools on phone‘s storage drives
- If texts were saved to cloud backups in the past, try restoring from an older backup
But act fact. The longer a text stays deleted, the less likely reinstatement becomes. Enable automatic backup services going forward to prevent this!
FAQs About Printing Android Text Messages
Here are answers to common questions when handling Android text printing:
Why can‘t my phone find the wireless printer?
Double check Bluetooth is enabled on both devices and they‘re within 30 feet of one another. Reboot your phone and printer. Manually reconnect them then retry printing.
Can I print Android texts from a computer backup?
Absolutely! Backup services like Link to Windows display your SMS messages directly on a desktop allowing easy printing access.
Is a wireless printer required for printing texts?
No, you can establish a wired connection between printer and phone using a USB-OTG adapter. This still enables direct Android printing.
Should I convert text conversations to PDF format?
It depends on your specific printing needs. PDFs allow multi-page documents perfect for entire chat histories. But PDF conversion also has a learning curve.
Can I print really long text exchanges?
Yes! Use your phone‘s scrolling screenshot option while slowly panning up and down the chat. Print all long screenshots in order. Or stitch together using editing tools.
What‘s the easiest way to print texts?
The email screenshot method only takes seconds without extra apps or printer setup. However, wireless direct printing produces far superior print quality for text messages.
Let‘s Start Printing Your Vital Texts!
As you can see, capturing meaningful mobile conversations on paper is fairly straightforward.
With three solid techniques – emailing screenshots, wireless printing, and SMS backup apps – you‘re equipped to preserve vital text messages.
On top of step-by-step methodology, we also covered pro tips for optimizing print quality as well as recovering deleted texts.
Now you have all the knowledge to start printing cherished texts from your Android!
So open up those emotional, funny, or important SMS chats on your phone and fire up the printers! Here‘s to enjoying your printed mementos for years to come.
