Save Time Printing Files in Batches

I was reading a recent post on lifehacker that describes how to use Automator on a Mac to print documents in batches which inspired me to comment on a simple technique I have used for many years.

Like most corporate employees I work with a shared network attached printer. The hassles of leaving my desk to pick up my print or the risk of losing the documents among the others that will pop off the printer are nagging annoyances. To combat this I frequently pause the print queue and release it when I am ready to retrieve my batch of documents. To ensure I don’t impact my co-workers and I can prepare documents to print when I am traveling I install my network printer as a local printer, rather than a network attached printer, so that I can queue documents when I am disconnected from the network.

To accomplish this, I first configure a local printer by creating a standard TCP/IP port that will appear as follows once configured:

After the printer is configured properly you can simply Pause the printing from the queue and release it when you are ready to retrieve your documents.

While this isn’t as technical as writing a batch script I find that I usually identify documents I want to print while I am working on them can then use the printer settings, like duplex or collation, by taking advantage of the drivers’ functions; which saves even more time.

Share your Windows productivity tips by adding a comment.

Technorati Tags: Getting Things Done, GTD, life hacks, Lifehack, printers, Productivity, Technology

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