Quick Tip

031-2007

Create a shortcut to a printer in the Send To menu.

The Send To menu is what you see when you right-click a file’s icon.  It is a handy tool for quickly sending a document to the My Documents folder, a floppy diskette, a thumb drive or other common storage locations. However, users can add options to the Send To menu.

Many users do not realize that it is possible to customize the Send To menu, but even fewer know that they can also add hardware such as printers to the Send To menu. By adding a printer, it is possible to print a document from within Windows Explorer without even opening the file.

TIP:
To add a printer to the Send To menu, first open the SendTo folder by clicking the My Computer Icon on your desktop if available, or go to Start and My Computer. Double-click Local Disk (C:), then Documents And Settings, then your username. Double-click the SendTo folder. If you don’t see a SendTo folder:  On the toolbar click on Tools then Folder Options. Click the View tab, and in the Advanced Settings list, click to place a check mark in the Show Hidden Files And Folders checkbox. Click OK.

Once you’ve opened the SendTo folder, click the Start menu and Control Panel. Double-click Printers And Faxes. Locate your printer in the Printers And Faxes window and drag its icon from the Printers And Faxes window to the SendTo window.

After you’ve added your printer to the SendTo folder, all you have to do to print a document is locate its icon, right-click it, click SendTo, and then click your printer from the SendTo list.