PrintChoice is a control panel device which provides a quick way to rechoose a printer without going back into the Apple chooser.  A submenu in your Apple Menu will let you maintain a list of your frequently used printers.

INSTALLING PrintChoice

Just drop the PrintChoice file in your System 7 control panels folder.  (PrintChoice is not compatible with system 6.)  You can immediately use the control panel device to set preferences or display help information, but it will not add the PrintChoice menu in the Apple Menu until you reboot.

USING PrintChoice

After you have installed PrintChoice and rebooted, your Apple menu will have a new submenu called PrintChoice, containing options to add, rename, or delete printers.

Adding a printer to the PrintChoice menu
After choosing any printer from the standard Apple Chooser, you can make it easily accessible by adding it to the PrintChoice menu.  When you select the menu option that says "Add" followed by the name of the currently chosen printer, you will be prompted for a name to appear in the PrintChoice menu.  Just click okay if you want to use the short name shown for the printer.

Instead, you may choose to customize the name for the printer.  You can type in any name you would like, since the name will appear in your PrintChoice menu only.  It does not affect the Apple Chooser or any other Macintosh on a network.  Press the "Use Default Name" button if you would rather use the entire name shown above the button.  When you are happy with the name you entered, click OK or press return.

Once you have added a printer, it will show up in the PrintChoice menu, and the "Add" menu option will be dimmed.  You can select other printers from the Apple Chooser and use the same procedure to add as many other printers as you would like.  Once you have added all of your commonly accessed printers, you may never have to use Chooser again!

Setting the current printer
To activate any printer, just choose it from the PrintChoice menu.  The current printer is displayed in the PrintChoice menu with a checkmark (or, if it has not yet been added to the PrintChoice menu, it will appear in the "Add" menu option).

Renaming or deleting printers
Select "Rename or Delete Printers…" to change the name of a printer or to remove it from the menu altogether.  You will see a list of the printers (in the same order they appear in the menu).  Click on a printer to select it, then click either the "Rename…" or "Delete" button.  Rename will prompt you for a name with the same dialog used to add a new printer.  Delete immediately deletes the selected printer.  When you are done, click OK to continue.

There is a shortcut for deleting a printer: hold down the option key and select it from the PrintChoice menu.  It will be deleted immediately.

Launching PrintMonitor
The option "Launch PrintMonitor" is just a convenient way to start PrintMonitor.  You can use it if you have a print job postponed until later and need to change the scheduled print time.

Caveat

For some print drivers, it may be necessary to exit Chooser before adding a printer to the PrintChoice menu.  If the printer displayed in the "Add" dialog is not the printer you chose, try closing Chooser first.  (So far, this has happened occasionally with the AppleTalk ImageWriter driver only.)

Version History

Version 1.0 August 10, 1993 - initial release
Version 1.1 October 15, 1993 - Now saves the state of "background printing".  Fixed incompatability with startup sounds and Finder.  Fixed bug which sometimes left the watch cursor showing.  Should also fix Now Menus incompatibility.

REGISTERING PrintChoice

PrintChoice is shareware and costs $14.00.  Send a U.S. check or money order to the address below.  Please use the "Payment…" button in the control panel to print out an order form.  Otherwise, be sure to indicate the product and version number you are registering, and specify your name and return address.  Once you have registered, click the "Payment…" button and then select "I have paid" to disable the "Not Registered" message on the MenuChoice startup icon.

Kerry Clendinning
PO Box 26061
Austin, TX  78755

CIS:  76424,2214
ALink:  KerryC