WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get. The term is used mainly for newer types of software that display on the screen exactly what will appear after being printed. It is frustrating when what appears on screen is in code and what appears in print differs from what is on the screen. It was common in the past for word processors and spreadsheet software to be able to print graphics inserts but not to be able to display these inserts on the screen. Word processor, spreadsheet, and graphics programs have tried to overcome these frustrations by adding WYSIWYG options (e.g., the Print Preview menu in Word for Windows).