TMO Quick Tip - Leopard: Auto Quit Print Spools

by , 7:30 AM EST, December 26th, 2007

Mac OS X 10.5 has an interesting printing feature -- or bug, depending on your perspective. The printer spool icon remains in the Dock even after your document finishes printing. It's a nice feature if you always want quick access to a specific printer's job list, but it does clutter up the Dock.

If you don't want the printer spool icon to stay in the Dock after you are done printing, you can force the icon to behave just as it did in pre-Leopard days. Here's how:

• Click and hold on the printer icon in the Dock.
• Choose Auto Quit from the pop-up contextual menu.

Auto quitting a printer removes its icon form the Dock after a print job completes.

Now the printer spool icon will automatically go away after a job completes printing.

Jeff Gamet is TMO's Morning Editor and Reviews Editor. He lectures, teaches and speaks on Mac OS X and design-related topics, and is the author of The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X from Peachpit Press.

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