FingerPrint App Makes Printing from iPad Unbelievably Straightforward

If you work on the iPad a lot chances are you will need to print your documents at some point. Anyone who has tried setting up AirPrint™ service to work with their existing printer will have discovered one of a few things: 1) their printer isn’t AirPrint™ compatible; 2) curse and swear at Apple for making life difficult; 3) it’s easier to give up — the path of least resistance. I soon came across an installer for Windows that enables the AirPrint service to work with any shared printer. Everything seemed OK for a while until one fine day after upgrading to iOS 5 printing immediately stopped working. All this time, I had only been printing black and white documents to my legacy HP LaserJet 1200 printer and I discovered this problem when I installed Canon Easy-PhotoPrint (Canon iEPP) app on the iPad to enable photo printing. Excitement and pride quickly turned to disappointment when the attached photo printer couldn’t be found.

#FingerPrint App for Windows and Mac by @collobos makes printing to any printer straight from your #iPad easy peasy bit.ly/qWnset

—
JAN SHIM (@JanShim) November 07, 2011

The blurb: “Canon Easy-PhotoPrint (Canon iEPP) is a free application that allows you to easily print photos and scan from your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad on a compatible PIXMA multifunction printer via a local wireless network (Wi-Fi).” except I couldn’t get it to work so I needed Plan B.

So back to Google I probed for more enlightening solutions perhaps a miracle even after an unproductive and exhausting night stubbornly trying to print to the Canon PIXMA iP 6700D. Evidently, miracles do exist and one such miracle is FingerPrint by Collobos Software that runs on Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows.

All your printers are displayed in an easy to read list in FingerPrint’s main window. You can then select which printers you want to AirPrint™ enable. Bonjour technology is used to advertise your printers, and in seconds those printers will show up in your iDevice. — Collobos Software

FingerPrint quickly identifies two shared printers over my home WiFi network and a couple of test prints confirmed its effectiveness. FingerPrint also makes it easy to move files from your iDevice to your computer, and save files to Dropbox.

[ Read my review: SnapSeed — My Favourite Photo Editing App on the iPad 2 ]

SnapSeed is my favourite mobile photo editor. There are more than enough features to turn a good picture great and takes just a bit more to make it wow. FingerPrint now makes it possible to print without forcing you to spend on an AirPrint compatible photo printer.

While FingerPrint makes printing to the PIXMA iP6700D possible, it doesn’t mean Canon Easy-PhotoPrint works as much as I would like it to. It simply means I am able to print from my favourite photo app, SnapSeed, with print size limited to 14.5 x 9.5cm. Even without a print control panel, I am happy with the the accurate colour rendition.

Besides unprecedented ease of printing, FingerPrint also makes it easy to move files from your iDevice to your computer. Open up documents and photos, import photos into iPhoto (Mac only), and save files to Dropbox. Find out more about at www.collobos.com. In case the booklet on the left of the sunflower print caught your eye, pictures from the Islamic Tourism Brunei Darussalam assignment are one of my 2011 highlights.

IN PURSUIT OF HAPPY SANITY

What is Sanity without Happiness?

Don’t let someone become a priority in your life,
When you are just an option in their life …
Relationships work best when they are balanced.

Never explain yourself to anyone,
Because the person who likes you doesn’t need it,
And the person who dislikes you won’t believe it

When you keep saying you are busy, Then you are never free.
When you keep saying you have no time, Then you will never have time.
When you keep saying that you will do it tomorrow, Then tomorrow will never come.

When we wake up this morning, we have two simple choices.
Go back to sleep and dream, or wake up and chase those dreams.
Choice is yours…

We make them cry who care for us,
We cry for those who never care for us
And we care for those who will never cry for us
This is the truth of life, it’s strange but true
Once u realize this, it’s never too late to change

Don’t make promises when you are in joy
Don’t reply when you are sad
Don’t take decisions when u are angry
Think twice, Act wise

Time is like a river, You cannot touch the same water twice
Because the flow that has passed will never pass again
Enjoy every moment of life

[ Author unknown ]

THE SUNFLOWER

Sunflowers have a distinctive and brilliant appearance and a quick check on the web tells me they were first grown in Central and South America for their usefulness in providing oil and food than they were appreciated for their beauty. I don’t normally think much of these flowers but seeing how the weather hasn’t been quite forgiving recently, their bright yellow petals begged for attention on an otherwise dull and gray afternoon. Driving my kids to tuition, I stopped by the roadside of the only house in my neighborhood where these sunflowers are grown and fired a number of shots on the 5DII and EF100mm f/2.8 Macro lens—a combo that has recently become a favourite.

Numerous small flowers crowded together called florets to form the head of the sunflower. The florets create a spiraling pattern to form the flower and until now, it never occurred to me they can be hypnotic— I suggest you don’t stare at the florets longer than you have to—I cannot be held responsible for your actions afterwards! :)

“The 3rd wedding anniversary flower and the state flower of Kansas, sunflowers turn to follow the sun.
Their open faces symbolize the sun itself, conveying warmth and happiness, adoration and longevity.”

THE BOTANY OF SUNFLOWER

Sunflower plants are of the genus Helianthus, of the family Asteraceae, and are native to North and South America. They are an annual plant with availability year round, but the peak period of enjoyment is from June to October. The blossom is actually a composite of multiple flowers crowded together, with “ray florets” forming the outer petals that surround a large brown or yellow disc. Their thick, leafy and hairy stems often grow more than 4 feet in height, although dwarf varieties are available for ornamental gardens.

Although a bright and attractive flower, the sunflower does not produce a fragrance.  It does, however, have value from an economic and ornamental point of view. The leaves are used as fodder, the flowers yield a yellow dye, and the seeds have many uses in food, fuel etc. The yellow, sweet oil obtained by compression of the seeds is considered equal to olive oil for table use. The oil is also used in soap and paints and as a lubricant. Many have found value in its medicinal uses for ulcers, canker sores, gum disease, sore throats and tonsillitis. — Teleflora.com