Print Finder Windows. How Hard Can It Be?

After a few years of Mac OS X Jaguar, Panther, and Tiger, I’m ready for Apple to fix some deficiencies in Mac OS X Leopard.

For example, print Finder windows. How hard can that be? These utilities do it and they’re free.

Even Mac OS Classic could do things that Mac OS X doesn’t do. You have a folder loaded with files and you’d like to print a listing.

Sorry, Charlie. Let someone besides Apple handle that little task. Two Mac OS X utilities can print a Finder list or a list of what’s in a Finder window.

The first is Print Windows from Searchware Solutions. It’s a simple utility that lets your Mac print folder listings from the Finder.

You remember the Finder, right? It’s that lovely leftover from Mac OS Classic that lets us, well, uh, you know… find things on the Mac.

It’s also the one big, honkin’ glaring problem that needs a fix. Fortunately, many Mac developers see an opportunity and fill it.

Print Windows bills itself as the little tool that Apple forgot. Print a file listing from within the Finder. Mac OS X can’t do it.

There’s two versions of Print Windows; one for free, and one for money.

Guess which one your old Friday Freebie Friend Alex will discuss? Come on. Just guess.

The Standard version lets you control the printed list with a few options. Print icons, file information, page headers, even pre-sorting listings.

That last feature is like, you know, so oh-my-God handy. Like really.

Print Windows also lets you print a Finder window which has sub-folders in folders so they show up in the printed listing. Hello?? This is free, you know?

There’s just something to love about little utilities that do one thing and do it so well. Print Windows Standard is a must if you want to print what’s in a Finder window.

At the other end of the scale is PrintFinder from Cedric Merie. The scale is still free, only the options are different.

One of the options that PrintFinder needs is English instructions.

At the basic level where all Mac users can understand, regardless of language, is, well, PrintFinder prints Finder windows. Not quite so many options as Print Windows, but effective nevertheless.

These two utilities do a decent job of filling a gap in Mac OS X. Here we are five years after the launch of OS X and it still won’t print Finder windows listings.

Why not? Obviously, it can’t be that hard because a couple of guys did it already and don’t charge for their effort. One in English and one in French.

I can presume that Apple didn’t feel it necessary, or decided to leave some obvious features out to give some crumbs to the Mac utility and developer folks to scrape up.

As we get closer to the launch of Mac OS X Leopard, we’ll begin compiling a wish list of items for Mac OS X, similar to ComputerWorld’s 15 Things Apple Should Change In Mac OS X.

What’s on your list of things Apple forgot in Mac OS X or needs to change in Leopard?

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