Tips & Tricks

Mac OS X version 10.1.x does not have a UI to allow users to specify and save the installed options for printers. This includes duplex units, extra paper trays, etc.
However, Mac OS X (all versions) does support printing to PostScript devices with duplex units.
Printers added as AppleTalk devices will have their installed options automatically discovered if Print Center can successfully autoselect the correct PostScript Printer Description (PPD).
Some PPD files allow the duplex option to be set in the Print dialogue under "Printer Features" (click on "Copies & Pages") pop-up. Some PPD files must be manually edited to enable installed options.
For example, the LaserWriter 12/640.
There is an option in the Print dialogue for "Duplex" (click on Copies & Pages), giving the user the capability to enable duplex printing on a per-job basis, and to choose between either short- or long-edge binding.

Additionally, the PPD can be edited to make this option "on by default".

1. Launch TextEdit.
2. Choose the Open command from the File menu, navigate to the installed PPD and open it. The LaserWriter 12/640 PPD lives in /System/Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/en.lproj (choose appropriate localization).
3. Change "*DefaultOptionalDuplexer: False" to "*DefaultOptionalDuplexer: True" (no quotes).
4. Once edited, save the PPD to /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/en.lproj (different location), and use a name like "MyLaserWriter" with either no extension, or .PPD.
5. Open Print Center.
6. Choose the "Add Printer..." command from the Printers menu or click "Add Printers..." button in the Printer List UI.
7. Select the printer via AppleTalk or manually enter the printer's info if creating an LPR queue.
8. Manually select the edited PPD using the "Printer Model" pop-up.
9. Click the "Add" button.

Create PDFs in OS X

There’s a really easy way to create PDFs in OS X. When you first go to the Print dialogue box, click on the Preview button. This will create a PDF file and open it in the Preview app. Then just select "Save as PDF" from the File menu and you're done.

Can't find an OS X Printer Driver?

If there isn't an OS X print driver available for your printer you may get better printing using CUPS (Common Unix Printing Ripping Revisited)
To use the GIMP print system with your Printer you'll need to know if there's a driver for your printer.
This site http://www.easysw.com/printpro/printers.php will give you a list of supported printers (I got over 300 Tektronix models...)
The documentation on your Mac system is a bit geeky but start by pasting this url into a browser:
http://127.0.0.1:631
(yep that's the documentation built in to OS X somewhere).

Desktop Trash in OS X

Use a Link

It appears to be impossible to make an alias of the Trash - but you can do it with a UNIX "symbolic link". This has to be done in Terminal, but it results in a folder icon appearing on your desktop and you can drag files to this folder and they will be trashed just as usual. And of course you are free to customize the folder's icon using any of the standard utilities to make it as Trash-like as you wish. The command to make the symbolic link to Trash is:
ln -s ~/.Trash Trash
where the last word ("Trash") is what will appear on the desktop - you can make this whatever you like. It won't change automatically from empty to full like a real Trash can.

Alternatively
Step One: Create a new folder on your desktop.

Step Two: Make an alias of this folder and name it Trash (you can delete the original folder now).

Step Three: Press Command-I, and in the Info Window that appears, click on the button marked "Select New Original."

Step Four: Now, you're going to locate your real trash. Here's how: In the Go To field, type in /users/yourname/.trash (of course, don't type the words "yourname," instead type in your user name where "yourname" appears).

Step Five: Now press the Go button, and it will find the Trash for you (even though it will appeared grayed out in the list). The Go button then changes into the Choose button. Click the Choose button (while your grayed-out trash is still selected in the list) and you've done the hard part.

Step Six: Now all you have to do is switch the icon. Here's how: Click on the Trash icon in the Dock, which will open its window. Then press Command-I to bring up its Info window. Click once directly on the Trash Can icon, then press Command-C to copy that icon into memory.

Step Seven: Go to the Alias folder named "Trash" on your desktop, click on it, and press Command-I to bring up its Info window. Click on the folder icon to select it, then press Command-V to paste the Trash Can icon onto your folder.

There you have it...a trash can on your desktop.

OR, you can save the time taken dragging to the Trash, highlight the file to be trashed, type Control-Delete to move it to the Trash and then Shift-Control-Delete to delete it.

Use an AppleScript

If you open script editor and make the following script:

on open DroppedItems
repeat with EachItem in DroppedItems
tell application "Finder"
delete DroppedItems
end tell
end repeat
end open

and save on your Desktop as an application with (or without, your choice) Stay Open checked, you can then drag anything to it to have to Finder move it to the trash. You can get it here http://www.novajo.ca/Trash.app.sit

Applications that put a trash can on the desktop include: iCan http://www.kanzu.com/ican.html, DragThing http://www.dragthing.com/ and Path Finder http://www.cocoatech.com/.

Useful document about fonts in OS X

http://www.apple.com/creative/fonts/UsingFontsinMacOSX_L25032B.pdf