OS X: Desktop Printers in Leopard

In previous versions of OS X, it was dead-easy to create a desktop printer: In your list of printers, you simply selected "Make Desktop Printer" from the contextual (right-click) menu.

I wanted to create a desktop printer this morning in Leopard, though, and for once I was stumped. No menu items were to be found, and Google just turned up pre-Leopard tips. It turns out Apple has simplified the process to the point of being so obvious I missed it. If it were a snake, and all that.

Having figured it out, I thought I'd share for the benefit of future googlers.

How to create a desktop printer in OS 10.5 (Leopard)

1. Open the Print & Fax pane of System Preferences.
   
2. Select the printer you want to put on your desktop in the left-hand list.
   
3. Drag the printer to your desktop.
   
4. All done! You can give your new desktop printer a new name, if you wish.
   
5. Bonus tip! Drag your new printer icon into your Finder Sidebar. You can then print files directly from the Finder just by dragging them onto the Sidebar printer icon.
   

What's so great about a desktop printer, anyway?

A "destop printer" is simply a shortcut to your printer (or any printer you are connected to on your network). Desktop printers can speed up your workflow drastically. When you drag-and-drop a document onto a desktop printer, the document immediately is sent to your printer and begins printing with no further input on your part.

So, for example, this morning I had 17 separate PDF documents to print. Without a desktop printer, I'd have to manually open each file, go to File > Print, and confirm in the print dialogue. With a desktop printer, I simply shift-clicked to select all 17 files in the Finder and dragged them to my printer shortcut. The print job was sent, queued, and completed with no more direction from me.