# Email and print transcripts for visitors

Let visitors email or print the conversation history permitted by the website's transcript and history settings.

*Release 3.3 · admin, visitor*

**Settings › Chat › Themes** · **Settings › Chat › General Settings** · **Settings › Chat › Transcript Email Templates** · **Settings › Chat › Transcript Print Templates**

## What it is

**Email transcript** and **Print transcript** let visitors keep a copy of their conversation. The available history follows the website's history and transcript restrictions. Email can include attachments; printing opens a separate transcript window.

## Who uses it and why

Visitors email a copy to a chosen address or print a record of the conversation. Users with the **Settings** role decide which menu options appear and which history is available. Powerfront can change transcript layouts and the restricted-export option for you.

## Where to find it

Visitors open the chat menu and choose **Email transcript** or **Print transcript**, unless the theme uses customised labels.

With the **Settings** role, configure these options in **Settings › Chat › Themes** and choose **Show Previous Chats within** in **Settings › Chat › General Settings**. Ask Powerfront to change **Restrict print conversation** in **Settings › Chat › General Settings** or the templates in **Settings › Chat › Transcript Email Templates** and **Settings › Chat › Transcript Print Templates**.

## How it works

To email a transcript, choose **Email transcript**, enter a recipient email address and submit it. INSIDE checks the address format and requests the permitted conversation history with attachments included.

If the email is too large with attachments, the pane asks whether to send it without them. Choose **Send without attachments** to retry without the files, or **Cancel** to stop that retry. The pane reports the request's result.

To print, choose **Print transcript**. A transcript window opens and invokes the browser's print controls. Chat input pauses while printing and resumes when the print dialog or transcript window closes.

## Configure it

Enable **Email Transcript** and **Print Transcript** in the applicable theme. Check **Disable Email for Mobile** and **Disable Print for Mobile** if visitors need these actions on mobile. Set the input prompt and action labels in the theme's messages.

Choose **Show Previous Chats within** in **General Settings** to define the available history. Ask Powerfront to change **Restrict print conversation** if exports should be limited to the visible conversation selection. This restriction affects email as well as printing.

Ask Powerfront to change email or print transcript templates when you need a different layout.

### Settings

| Setting | Where | Applies to | Default | Who can change it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Email Transcript | Settings › Chat › Themes › Icons | website | Off in the theme editor | Settings role | Show the visitor email transcript menu entry. |
| Print Transcript | Settings › Chat › Themes › Icons | website | On in the theme editor | Settings role | Show the visitor print transcript menu entry. |
| Disable Email for Mobile | Settings › Chat › Themes › Icons | website | Off in the theme editor | Settings role | Hide email transcript on mobile devices. |
| Disable Print for Mobile | Settings › Chat › Themes › Icons | website | Off in the theme editor | Settings role | Hide print transcript on mobile devices. |
| Email Input Text (For Email Transcript) | Settings › Chat › Themes › Chat Pane › Messages | website | Enter email to receive transcript | Settings role | Set the text prompting visitors for a recipient address. |
| Email Transcript Label | Settings › Chat › Themes › Chat Pane › Messages | website | Email transcript when no label is supplied | Settings role | Set the visitor email action label. |
| Print Transcript Label | Settings › Chat › Themes › Chat Pane › Messages | website | Print transcript when no label is supplied | Settings role | Set the visitor print action label. |
| Show Previous Chats within | Settings › Chat › General Settings | website | Current Conversation | Settings role | Choose Current Conversation or Current Session history, which also affects transcript scope. |
| Restrict print conversation | Settings › Chat › General Settings | website | Off when not configured | Settings role | Restrict print and email transcript requests to the visible conversation selection. |

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Settings | Configure visitor transcript menu options and conversation history settings. |

## Limits and good to know

- A transcript is not automatically all of a visitor's past conversations. History and export restrictions determine its scope.
- Address validation checks format; it does not prove the mailbox exists or that the recipient will receive the email.
- Email includes attachments on the initial attempt. Retrying without them requires the visitor's confirmation after a size-limit response.
- Browser popup blocking can prevent the print window from opening. In that case, the pane resumes chat input.
- Printed rich cards use text alternatives rather than interactive controls.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Requires** [Transcripts by email and print](CHAT-025.md): Shared transcript services assemble and deliver the conversation export.
- **Requires** [Visitor chat pane](VX-002.md): Visitors request email and print transcripts through the chat pane's controls.
- **Configured in** [Website and regional settings](ADM-004.md): Website settings supply the sender and reply-to addresses used for chat transcript emails.
- **Configured in** [Visitor chat themes and branding](VX-003.md): The active theme controls visitor transcript menu entries and labels.
- **Configured in** [Legacy chat pane settings](VX-032.md): Legacy pane settings control whether visitor email and print transcript actions are offered.
- **Configured in** [Previous chat history for visitors](VX-033.md): Conversation history settings affect which chats are included.
- **Works better with** [Rich content in visitor chat](VX-018.md): Rich-content cards provide text alternatives for printing.
- **Works better with** [File attachments for visitors](VX-021.md): Available attachments can be included in transcript email.
- **Works better with** [Visitor chat languages and text direction](VX-031.md): Transcript requests carry local date formatting, time-zone and text-direction information.

### Used by

- **Enhances** [Rich content in visitor chat](VX-018.md): Printed transcripts use text alternatives for visual cards.
- **Enhances** [Legacy chat pane settings](VX-032.md): Older panes have separate transcript visibility and presentation controls.
- **Related** [Transcripts by email and print](CHAT-025.md): The visitor transcript guide explains customer email and print controls.
- **Related** [Previous chat history for visitors](VX-033.md): The same visitor-history restrictions also limit email and print transcript exports.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why is a transcript option missing?

Check the active theme's **Email Transcript** or **Print Transcript** option and its mobile exclusion. An older pane uses separate controls.

### Why does the transcript omit an earlier chat?

Check **Show Previous Chats within**. Powerfront can also check whether **Restrict print conversation** limits the export to visible chats.

### Why am I asked to send without attachments?

The initial email exceeded a mail-size limit with its attachments. **Send without attachments** retries the transcript without the files; **Cancel** stops the retry.

### Why does no print window appear?

Check whether the browser blocked a popup. Allow the site's print window and choose **Print transcript** again.

### Why is chat input paused while I print?

INSIDE pauses input for the print flow. Close the print dialog or transcript window to return to chat.