A screenshot is a digital photo of visibly displayed content on a screen. It is saved by default as a file to the clipboard or in the screenshot folder. Typically, you can also send it directly to a selected printer and print it out.
Not counting photographing a screen with an actual camera, screenshots have been around since the mid-1960s. Back then, you could print the content of a screen at the touch of a button.
Later in the 1970s and 80s, developers realized how useful screenshots were and began developing computers with a built-in screenshot function. For example, IBM’s VDU terminals and MS-DOS operating systems had a print screen function in the 70s that made it possible to print out text content directly via a connected printer port.
While early versions of the print screen function could only copy written content in text format, the popular function was quickly expanded to include all content visible on the screen or a selected part of it. This made it easier for many users to communicate with others what was happening on their screen. Modern operating systems typically save images of the screen in BMP format. After the arrival of the smartphone, the screenshot function quickly became a standard on mobile devices as well (PNG or JPG format) and has proven useful for saving and sharing chats and other content.