Author Topic: Mini-Review of Fineprint (Virtual Printer) (Read 205579 times)

Darwin · « **Reply #50 on:** December 20, 2006, 04:00 PM »

I'm using ClickBook now - it is impressive. I'm not sure why I dismissed it so quickly before... I'll have to play around with it before commenting on it further, though.

PS mouser is right: we need to remember to distribute those credits. I tend to forget about them and they just sit in my account.

alxwz · « **Reply #51 on:** December 20, 2006, 05:15 PM »

I just noticed that there is a discount on the ClickBook site (approx. 40%) until Dec 23.
(Did I miss something or did that go unmentioned here? The former seems possible, it's very late here and I'm really tired.)

Since I won't have any time until Dec 23 to try either ClickBook or FinePrint (I did indeed just dl the ClickBook trial and couldn't find it out quickly), I have a question to the fellow members:

Is it possible to print 8 pages in either app (or both) in the way PocketMod (folded organizer from one sheet of paper, http://www.pocketmod.com) does it, but properly formatted for A4 (instead of US legal), with no additional margins and small borders between the pages?

PocketMod is really great (and you could even use the templates from DIY planner), but pages don't fit properly with A4 going in and out.

The layout I mean is like:
1 2 3 4
F B 6 5
with the F,B,6,5 pages upside down (or vice versa). F=front, B=back.

(Can't explain that better in English, sorry.)

[link from boingboing]

Darwin · « **Reply #52 on:** December 20, 2006, 06:41 PM »

I can't answer your question completely, but ClickBook defaults to A4 and offers numerous organizer layouts.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #53 on:** December 20, 2006, 06:52 PM »

Does ClickBook offer Page Scaling like FinePrint - that is something I could do with as Firefox and Internet Explorer don't really fully solve this problem for web pages?

NigelH · « **Reply #54 on:** December 20, 2006, 07:53 PM »

Sorry folks, wish I'd been more informative, but it's so long since I used ClickBook.

Carol, their web page says this
"ClickBook, helps you scale and rotate digital photos, e-mails, documents, favorite on-line content, or other critical information into 170+ mobile and convenient layouts. You can even design your own custom layouts and save up to 75% in paper costs!"

Btw, the $29 sale is only on this page
http://www.bluesquirrel.com/products/clickbook/
and not on this page
http://www.clickbook.com/clickbook_win.php

patteo · « **Reply #55 on:** December 20, 2006, 10:42 PM »

Just posted an update on the Review as follows :

Update on 21 Dec 2006

I'm using ClickBook now - it is impressive. I'm not sure why I dismissed it so quickly before... I'll have to play around with it before commenting on it further, though.
-Darwin (December 20, 2006, 04:00 PM)

Darwin, thanks for posting your comments for the benefit of all.

Any takers for a Clickbook Mini-Review ?

Actually I might now be somewhat more tempted to do one if no one is willing to do one.

It is likely that both products have their respective strengths and will suit users with differing needs and we should be fair to both.

mouser · « **Reply #56 on:** December 21, 2006, 12:50 AM »

Any takers for a Clickbook Mini-Review ?
Actually I might now be somewhat more tempted to do one if no one is willing to do one.

Go Go Patteo!!!!!

Darwin · « **Reply #57 on:** December 23, 2006, 01:48 PM »

Any updates available on the FinePrint discount? The ClickBook discount ends today...

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #58 on:** December 23, 2006, 02:21 PM »

Anyone got any ideas on how to force ClickBook to use the correct paper source on Canon printers? Mine has a tray and sheet feed and ClickBook insists on using the sheet feed which I never use as it usually has piles of junk piled on it.

I emailed ClickBook tech support and they suggested using the File > Print to output printout as I can then choose the paper source but even if I choose the paper tray it still ignores the setting and goes for the sheet feeder.

Really annoying!

Darwin · « **Reply #59 on:** December 23, 2006, 04:05 PM »

I realise my comment was overly brief (single parenting a 4 yr old and a 2 yr old over the holidays while wife is in Korea) and wanted to add that I've been trialing both FinePrint and ClickBook and appreciate the different feature sets. ClickBook will do all I need it to and more while FinePrint will do exactly what I need it to very simply... Hence my question about the FinePrint discount - I'd like to have more data so that I can decide which way to jump!

mouser · « **Reply #60 on:** December 23, 2006, 08:03 PM »

The fineprint discount will go live on Jan 1. It's for 35% off.

Darwin · « **Reply #61 on:** December 28, 2006, 07:59 AM »

Thanks for the update mouser. I jumped at the ClickBook offer before it expired and am very happy with it. Haven't had many opportunities to use it, yet, but will next semester. I'm going to be checking on the FinePrint offer, anyway as I might consider loading it onto my wife's computer...

alxwz · « **Reply #62 on:** December 28, 2006, 12:24 PM »

I passed on the Clickbook discount offer after I couldn't find (even after some additional fiddling) an option to turn certain pages upside down the way I described (and in addition, I had some problems adjusting totally incorrect margins in 8-up mode on A4 paper).

Hope FinePrint does it better. But until now I couldn't find a suitable option for my problem there, either. And I also couldn't find a way to stop it from adding additional margins to the whole sheet (those are completely unnecessary because the pages themselves already have margins).

rjbull · « **Reply #63 on:** December 29, 2006, 02:44 PM »

My Canon ip5000 has a cartidge tray feed but it also also a straight through feed - it is great to have the choice. Plus it includes automatic duplex, automatic 4-up booklet printing (which is really neat), mulitple page reduction to a single sheet and CD/DVD printing and produces really great photos.
-Carol Haynes (December 16, 2006, 05:35 AM)

Doesn't the fact that those features are built into hardware render FinePrint rather pointless?

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #64 on:** December 29, 2006, 06:26 PM »

My Canon ip5000 has a cartidge tray feed but it also also a straight through feed - it is great to have the choice. Plus it includes automatic duplex, automatic 4-up booklet printing (which is really neat), mulitple page reduction to a single sheet and CD/DVD printing and produces really great photos.
-Carol Haynes (December 16, 2006, 05:35 AM)

Doesn't the fact that those features are built into hardware render FinePrint rather pointless?
-rjbull (December 29, 2006, 02:44 PM)

Not totally as it has other functions - like inserting pages into booklet prints, removing images, other forms of scaling and others.

Actually I bought ClickBook but have been rather frustrated that it doesn't work well with my printer (see note above). It insists that paper is inserted via the sheet feeder and I can't get it to use the cassette at all. I email their support who wrote back with a suggestion to solve the problem but it didn't work and I got no further response when I replied to that effect. There is obviously a bug somewhere in there but they don't seem keen to troubleshoot it!

mwb1100 · « **Reply #65 on:** December 29, 2006, 07:36 PM »

My Canon ip5000 has a cartidge tray feed but it also also a straight through feed - it is great to have the choice. Plus it includes automatic duplex, automatic 4-up booklet printing (which is really neat), mulitple page reduction to a single sheet and CD/DVD printing and produces really great photos.
-Carol Haynes (December 16, 2006, 05:35 AM)

Doesn't the fact that those features are built into hardware render FinePrint rather pointless?

-rjbull (December 29, 2006, 02:44 PM)

I'm hoping that FinePrint will let me set up 2 types of virtual printers -

1) ones that simply let me give my own name to the network printers at work (um... is the color printer that's on floor 2 the one named LP711 or is it LP345?). I have no idea why Windows won't let me do this natively.

2) Virtual printers for the same printer, but with different settings. I want a Printer named "LaserJet - 2 up" and another simply named "LaserJet" that does 1 up printing. That way I don't have to go into Printer Properties all the time; I just need to select the virtual printer that does what I want. Again - why can't I do this in Windows natively???

I haven't run the trial, yet, but the description of FinePrint seems to indicate that it can do both things.

cranioscopical · « **Reply #66 on:** December 29, 2006, 09:19 PM »

Virtual printers for the same printer, but with different settings. I want a Printer named "LaserJet - 2 up" and another simply named "LaserJet" that does 1 up printing. That way I don't have to go into Printer Properties all the time; I just need to select the virtual printer that does what I want. Again - why can't I do this in Windows natively???
You may mean something different but, have you tried this which works nicely for home use...?
Say you have a printer now, called HPLP711. In your printers folder use the 'add printer' icon. Choose the printer type that you want to add (HPLP711) and, at the end of the process, you'll have a duplicate of HPLP711, probably named HPLP711 (2). Go into the Printer Properties of this new 'printer' and set whatever you want. Save, and then rename the new 'printer' with something useful, e.g. "HPLaser-2UP". Now "HPLaser-2UP" will appear as a choice in whatever print requester your software displays at print time.
I have 4 such 'printers' based on one physical printer and select what I want depending on the appropriate parameter at print time, such as paper quality, scaling...whatever.
Of course, you need access to relevant drivers and that's probably a problem in a corporate setting, depending on who sets what policies etc.

mouser · « **Reply #67 on:** December 29, 2006, 09:39 PM »

chris is right, this is actually something you can do without fineprint, assuming you have printer drivers that will do it. it's probably something worth finding a tutorial for. most people dont realize that they can create several different printer profiles from the same physical printers, using the add printer wizard in the Control Panel printer section.

Very useful if you want one printer for fast drafts, one for high quality, one for duplexing, etc.

CodeTRUCKER · « **Reply #68 on:** December 30, 2006, 01:30 AM »

I have a license, a rather dusty license to Clickbook too. Maybe it's time to pull it out of mothballs and see how it can dance.

rjbull · « **Reply #69 on:** December 31, 2006, 01:36 PM »

Plus it includes automatic duplex, automatic 4-up booklet printing (which is really neat), mulitple page reduction to a single sheet
-Carol Haynes (December 16, 2006, 05:35 AM)

Doesn't the fact that those features are built into the printer reduce the value of Fineprint?

mouser · « **Reply #70 on:** December 31, 2006, 02:41 PM »

Doesn't the fact that those features are built into the printer reduce the value of Fineprint?

yes - because you dont need fineprint so much if your printer already has n-up printing. though in fairness fineprint does it better than the printer drivers ive seen.

mouser · « **Reply #71 on:** January 03, 2007, 09:17 AM »

35% Discount through January now posted in the Supporting Member Only Discount Section:
https://www.donation...index.php?board=85.0

biosmonkey · « **Reply #72 on:** January 09, 2007, 12:23 PM »

I have used Fineprint (and its companion pdfFactory Pro) for several years, and can say that they are well worth their cost.

Let me reiterate a few key points about what makes Fineprint so great. Some of these have already been mentioned but I just want to restate them for clarity:

* It installs itself as a printer so you can choose to print directly to it or set it as the default printer. When a print job is sent to it, it pops up with a preview of the job, and at that point you can send it to any physical printer you want, including an extremely convenient checkbox to activate duplexing on-the-fly without having to go into the printer settings dialog.

* Of course the 2-up, 4-up etc features are great. I like the fact it has a bypass feature to not apply any formatting/margins/etc but you can still use the duplexing option and force different jobs to start on a new sheet (so they don't start on the back of a page for example)

* When you print something to it, and the preview pops up, YOU CAN STILL PRINT JOBS to it. This is VERY handy if you are browsing the web and want to 'collect' various printouts of things you see. For example, shopping for computer parts, getting recipes off the web, etc etc. This is probably the nicest thing about it in my opinion, and when I tried it out long ago this was the feature that totally sold me on it.

* Once the jobs are printed, you can go through the entire job and delete pages you don't want (or undelete them too).

* If you have pdfFactory Pro you can print directly to it from the job preview.

And to the individual who asked about printing page numbers in Fineprint (superboyac), you can easily do this by creating a stationary with the page number in the header or footer.

superboyac · « **Reply #73 on:** January 09, 2007, 01:36 PM »

And to the individual who asked about printing page numbers in Fineprint (superboyac), you can easily do this by creating a stationary with the page number in the header or footer.

Thanks biosmonkey, I will go try that out.

biosmonkey · « **Reply #74 on:** January 09, 2007, 02:13 PM »

And to the individual who asked about printing page numbers in Fineprint (superboyac), you can easily do this by creating a stationary with the page number in the header or footer.

Thanks biosmonkey, I will go try that out.
-superboyac (January 09, 2007, 01:36 PM)

Sure. Note that once you do this, you can control whether you have page numbering for the whole job (ex 1-10) or each job (ex 1-2, 1-3, 1-5) with the "Separate Jobs" option on the layout tab.