.KEYWORD printboy
.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Print straight from your Palm device with PrintBoy
.OTHER
.SUMMARY Have you ever found yourself wanting to print something directly from your Palm device, without having to use the Palm Desktop? It’s easier than you might think. Jen Edwards has a review of PrintBoy, an application that puts the information stored on your Palm device on paper.
.AUTHOR Jen Edwards
Have you ever found yourself wanting to print something directly from your Palm device without having to use the Palm Desktop? Do you have an IR-equipped printer? Then PrintBoy, from Bachmann Software and Service, may be exactly what you need. PrintBoy is a suite of applets designed to provide graphical printed output with nothing more than your Palm handheld and an IR-equipped printer. PrintBoy 2.0 is available for $14.99 and requires a Palm handheld with Palm OS version 3.0 or above.
If you don’t have an IR-enabled printer, please be aware that it’s possible to purchase an IrDa printer adapter from Actisys (at http://www.actisys.com) or a serial-to-parallel cable from Greenwich Instruments (at http://www.greenwichinst.com). The PrintBoy manual has more information about these two options. I used a Palm IIIc and a Hewlett Packard 2100TN for this review.
.H1 Installation
Installation follows the normal Palm procedure. Just unzip the software archive and use the Palm Desktop install tool to install PrintBoy onto your Palm device during your next HotSync operation. Once that step is completed, you’ve already finished the hard part. From there you simply tap on the PrintBoy icon on the Palm unit’s launcher screen, which will bring you to the main PrintBoy screen, as seen in Figure A.
.FIG A The main PrintBoy screen allows you to choose what type of information you want to print.
.H1 Selecting a print job
You can choose to print your addresses, appointments, to-do items, memos, mail messages, or whatever text has been copied to the clipboard. Depending on the applet you picked, you might be asked to select a date range, as seen in Figure B.
.Fig B This screen is used to choose the dates for the appointments you wish to print.
Alternatively, you might be prompted to select a particular memo or To Do List category, as shown in the upper righthand corner of Figure C.
.Fig C You can choose to print all of your To Do items or just a certain category.
Once your selection is made, simply point your Palm handheld’s IR port toward the one on your printer, and as long as you’re within a few feet, your print job will start almost immediately.
.H1 Print quality
What sets PrintBoy apart from some other Palm printing solutions is the output. Instead of unformatted text, you get real graphical output that’s virtually indistinguishable from what you might receive if you were printing from the Palm Desktop on your PC. The only difference I noted was the lack of footnotes detailing the exact time of printing, but I certainly don’t miss them.
I even prefer the PrintBoy printout in several ways. The print, especially on the month view, is a bit larger, the dates are bolder, and the overall effect provides much easier viewing. The Memo Pad printouts are certainly clear and professional enough to hand to your boss or coworkers without any additional cleanup, as long as you’re careful with your spelling.
.H1 Conclusion
Even if you don’t think you need an IR printing solution for your Palm device, you should try PrintBoy. I surprised myself by using it several times a day, and nothing beats the convenience of being able to print from your Palm device at any time with just a couple of taps. PrintBoy is very easy to use as well. I didn’t even have to read the manual to start using the program immediately. And at $14.99, PrintBoy is certainly worth the money.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on PrintBoy, visit http://www.bachmannsoftware.com/printboy.htm.
For more information on Actisys, visit http://www.actisys.com.
For more information on Greenwich Instruments, visit http://www.greenwichinst.com.
For more information on the Hewlett Packard 2100TN printer, visit http://www.pandi.hp.com/pandi-db/prodinfo.main?product=laserjet2100.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Jen Edwards is a student and Palm device enthusiast in Dallas, TX. She has written numerous reviews for Geek.com and BrightHand.com and can be reached at jen_edwards@yahoo.com.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?50@@.ee6ec98
