Fastcase allows printing texts in dual-column

Despite the preeminence of electronic research, we all need hard-copy versions of cases from time to time – to hand to the judge or opposing counsel, read on the train, or in the courthouse when we don’t have a laptop, or use in other ways.

But with many Web-based services, printing is a big mess. You get big, ugly Web addresses on the bottom of the page, awkward page breaks, and text cut off on the bottom and right side of the page.

Not so with Fastcase, a free ISBA member service, and its dual-column print utility. With Fastcase, you can customize the appearance of your case and print it easily and beautifully, in Microsoft Word format, PDF format, or in rich-text format (RTF) for use in WordPerfect. Here’s how.

When you’re searching cases in Fastcase, you’ll see the Print/Save button on the top right hand side of your screen. Click that link, and you get a menu of choices. These allow you to customize your printout exactly the way you like it.

Do you want the case formatted in one column, or do you prefer the dual-column format that appears in the case reporters? What kind of document format do you want – Word (.doc), Adobe PDF (.pdf), or WordPerfect (.rtf)?

Select your preferences (or go with the defaults) and click Print. Fastcase will ask your permission to open the program necessary to view your document.

When you get the prompt, click Open. Fastcase will then format your case according the specifications you selected and open it in a new window. Easy as pie!

Now you have a beautiful, predictable, perfect version of the case. From here, you can further format the case (if you selected Word or WordPerfect), selecting your own fonts and font sizes. (Don’t edit the court’s opinion, though – that’s a recipe for trouble!)

You can save the case for later reference, print it, e-mail it to someone else – anything you’d do with a document on your computer. You’ll find a tutorial that describes dual-column printing at www.fastcase.com.

Fastcase is a nationwide legal research service offered as a free member benefit to members of the Illinois State Bar Association. Access it by going to www.isba.org and clicking on Fastcase icon at the top left of the home page.