In Internet Explorer, there is a very convenient Print icon located at the toolbar which you can easily and quickly print the displayed web page using default printer. If you want to bring up the printing options to choose which printer to print, go to File > Print.
However, it’s not so convenient in Firefox. By default it doesn’t have the print icon at the toolbar and whenever you go to File > Print, it will bring up printing preferences. You can of course customize Firefox toolbar by adding the print icon but it won’t immediately print using default printer. I am going to show you how you can easily print with a single click in Firefox.
Adding a print icon at Firefox toolbar is very easy. Just follow the few simple steps below.
1.Go to View > Toolbars > Customize…
2. Use your mouse to select and drag the Print icon to anywhere you want at the toolbar.
3. Now you can print by clicking the “printer” icon.
However, when you click the printer icon at Firefox, it does not automatically print using Windows default printer. The print preferences window will appear first to let you confirm the print options. To print, you must click OK button.
There’s a huge difference between Internet Explorer and Firefox print preferences. Internet Explorer always select Windows current default printer but as for Firefox, it always shows the last printer previously used, not the current Windows default printer. Currently I am unable to find a way to hack Firefox to always use Windows current default printer. If you know a method, please share it with me.
Here’s what you need to do to enable Firefox immediately print without showing the print preferences dialog box.
1. Type about:config at Firefox’s location bar and hit Enter.
2. Right click at anywhere on the page and select New > Boolean
3. Enter the preference name as print.always_print_silent and click OK.
4. Select true for the boolean value and click OK.
If you now hit the print icon that you just added to the toolbar, it will immediately print. There are pros and cons on this setting. You can easily and quickly print the page you see but you cannot select which printer to use, define the print range and number of copies to print. If you’re unable to use this feature because somehow Firefox doesn’t use the previous printer, you can manually set it. Again type about:config at the URL address bar and hit enter. At filter, type print.print_printer. Double click at the reference name and type the exact printer name as shown in Printers and Faxes located at Control Panel.
i use file-print and select printer and print. it shows one printer that file is trying to print but eventually i get an err message on the active printer file???
AS A FOLLOWUP: LIKE YOU SAID, and I QUOTE you Sir Raymond:
however, when you click the printer icon at Firefox, it does not automatically print using Windows default printer. The print preferences window will appear first to let you confirm the print options. To print, you must click OK button.
I want Firefox to follow the Windows Default printer and its printing preferences.. Thanks… (epson lx300+II)
Hello Guys..
How bout this, please help.. I am running a PHP and Ajax Script on firefox. At the end of the script, i then print. As i print, i noticed it wont follow the default setup in the Control Panel/Printer/Printing Preferences that i previously set in the windows.
Can firefox follow the defaults of the printer i set with defaults from windows? Specifically, the PRINT PAPER SIZE.
hi
thanks for your great tip
I’ve got a problem :
when I click on a link that calls “Window.Print()” method… nothing is sent to the printer. but If I leave the page ” like clicking on a link” the print will be done!!!
I mean the print event will be fired when Page is unloading ….
please HEEELP :(
Excellent ! Thank-you
Firefox was FINE till they did updates, now they don’t print my online faxes as I display them… so how does this work , to make it print, I’m on a mac OSX Leopard operating system, NOT Windows… got any answers, please EMAIL me
Very useful tip – many thanks!
Adding the printer button from view/toolbars/customize works just fine, but when I exit Firefox and re-enter the icon is gone. How can I make the icon permanent?
I tried it works with normal browser printing but when i open pdf file in browser and try to print it, the dialog box get appears. How to hide dialog box when i print pdf file.
I’ve had this print feature for about 3 weeks now and it works great skipping the dialogue box. However, I changed my mind and now I want the print icon to bring up the dialogue box.
How do I undo/delete this? I tried to right click on the file in about: config, but there’s no delete function.
Thank you.
Raymond,
Any chance you can help me print to a file. I can\\\\\\\’t figure out how to do it after searching using Google.
Thanks,
Chris
Nice tip!
I want to ask if it is posible to automaticly print using the above setting of print.always_print_silent when using a popup for the webpage to be printed. Without interaction from the end-user (pushing a button)
In IE it isn’t posible anymore since XP SP2.
when im upgrading window ultimate vista to windows sp1 – it allows me 30 days usage. Can u assist me or there is any crack key for this.
Thanks
@Russ: It takes time for some people to make that change. I was an IE user and it took me a while before I am a Firefox user.
cool thanks Raymond. I still use Ie but am liking FF more and more and am trying to make that transition
Nice tip :-)
The title says “Quickly and Easily”….
But you can just go
File –> Print
tested on firefox 3 beta 5
and thank you man
Of course it works :P
Everything that I post on my site is personally tested by me.
Its Really Works