"Print" from iPad to DT

IOS 4.2 on iPad introduced AirPrint. When coupled with Ecamm’s Printopia, and one of the DT folder actions, you can “print” a PDF directly to the global inbox. Or modify the action to send the PDF to the database and group of your choice.

Printopia’s Send to Mac feature puts PDFs of documents printed from iPad Mail, Safari, iWork, etc., into ~/Documents/Printopia. Add one of the DT folder actions to that folder (import or index are available actions) and you’re done. Look up Folder Actions in Help for more information. Modify the folder action (in Automator) and customize it for the target group. All this only works on your local network.

Printopia also has a Send to Dropbox on Mac action, and with that you can round trip your printed PDF into DTTG or elsewhere on your iPad.

This might work with iPhone - try it. I have nothing to do with Ecamm; just a user.

There is a new 2.0 version of Printopia that has some nice additional features, such as setting up an application as a print destination. One can now ‘print’ a document directly to the Global Inbox-very nice! The downside of the new version is that the price doubled to $19.95, upgrades from 1.0x are free.

Thanks for the heads up. In addition to print-to-application, Printopia 2.0 also can use PDF workflows - such as the the “Save PDF to DEVONthink” workflow, or custom tweaks on that to send the PDF to specific databases & groups.

Wonderful, thanks from me too - I wouldn’t have had a heads-upo to the update to Printopia without reading this, and wouldn’t have known about the print to app feature.

I tested it out last night, and it worked beautifully.

A setting for virtual printers (say, the DT Inbox) that is on by default for each “printer” is “Open Sent Files Automatically”. This setting is accessed by selecting a “printer” in the list and clicking “Printer Properties” in the gear icon. There’s no global method to turn this off (AFICT) or to do it optionally from the iPad. When on, the setting causes the default app for that file type to open and load the file.

Thank you all for the great hints.