ausdrucken

This is a separable verb. That is a fancy way of saying it splits. The aus part likes to travel. It usually jumps to the very end of your sentence. You say Ich drucke das Dokument aus. You do not say Ich ausdrucke. Think of it like a sandwich. Your main action is at the start. The finishing touch is at the end. It works with documents, photos, and tickets.

You will use this at the office constantly. Your boss might ask you to print a report. You will use it at home for recipes. Use it at the university for your essays. Even at the train station, you might need to print a ticket. It is perfect for any situation involving a printer. It is a very practical, functional word.

Be very careful with the umlaut! There is another word: ausdrücken. That little dots change everything. ausdrücken means to express your feelings. Or to squeeze a lemon. Do not tell your boss you want to ausdrücken a contract. They will think you want to give the paper a hug. Also, do not use it for publishing a book. That is usually verlegen or just drucken.

Germany loves bureaucracy. Bureaucracy loves paper. You will find that many official things still require a physical signature. This means you will ausdrucken more things in Germany than elsewhere. Digital signatures are growing, but the printer is still a hero. Having a physical copy feels safe to many Germans. It is a sign that something is official and real.

The noun is der Ausdruck. That means the actual printout. The machine is der Drucker. If you are just printing in general, you can use drucken. But ausdrucken is more specific for finishing the task. It implies the whole process from screen to tray. It is the most common way to say it in daily life.