Learn Hardcore German: Ich drucke das Dokument mit dem neuen Drucker aus. - I print the document with the new printer.

German has many separable‑prefix verbs. ausdrucken (‘to print out’) is one of them. In a main clause the prefix (aus) detaches and moves to the very end, while the verb stem (drucke) remains in the second position.

What’s the difference between drucken and ausdrucken?

drucken on its own means ‘to press’, ‘to imprint’ or generally ‘to print’ (like on a printing press). ausdrucken specifically means ‘to print out’ from a digital source onto paper. If you leave out aus, it’s less clear that you mean printing a document from a computer.

How do I know that das Dokument is in the accusative case?

das Dokument is the direct object of the verb ausdrucken, and German marks direct objects with the accusative case. The neuter definite article das is the same in nominative and accusative, but here its role as the thing being printed tells you it’s accusative.

Why is mit dem neuen Drucker in the dative case?

The preposition mit always takes the dative case. Since Drucker is masculine, der neue Drucker in dative becomes dem neuen Drucker.

Why does the adjective neu get the ending ‑en here?

After a definite article in masculine dative singular, attributive adjectives carry the ‑en ending. So der neue Drucker → dative dem neuen Drucker.

Could I use a different preposition instead of mit?

Not really in this context. mit expresses the tool or means (“using the new printer”). auf would suggest a location or surface (“on the printer”), which doesn’t make sense here.

What happens to the verb in a subordinate clause?

In a subordinate clause the separable prefix stays attached and the whole verb goes to the end. For example:
„…, weil ich das Dokument mit dem neuen Drucker ausdrucke.“