Sublime Forum

Printing from Sublime

#1

How do I print from Sublime?
I must be missing something…

thanks,

Keith

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#2

Apparently you are missing the search function in this forum. There are lots of posts about printing from sublime. Here you go:
search.php?st=0&sk=t&sd=d&keywords=printing

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#3

[quote=“keithvb”]How do I print from Sublime?
I must be missing something…[/quote]

Printing is not possible. There’s a plugin that tries to print via the browser. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work for me, as it instead opens my html editor.

I also can’t save reliably on Windows 8 because of that File Locked error everyone is struggling with.

So basically, it’s a perfect text editor in every way, except I cannot save or print. lol.

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#4

Thanks jbjornsen. I took your link and found that Tech Support says “No print capabilities. It’s on todo list but low priority”

Thanks Nimzow. Yes, Sublime is a great editor but can’t print.

So why is printing so unimportant?
I print code frequently.

I’ll buy Sublime when i can print from it.

thanks,

Keith

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#5

I have just started using Sublime Text 2 on Macbook Pro. It would be an understatement to say I was confused when I pulled down the File Menu and did not find a ‘Print’ command. I realize there is a learning curve for Sublime (prefs, etc.), but this one kind of surprised me… After a brief search I realized there is no print capability in Sublime!

I am very impressed with ST 2, but the thought process behind this priority is beyond belief. When is the last time you have EVER opened an application and not found a print command? I can’t remember that far back, but perhaps on my Commodore PET, or my Atari 800…?! Given that program storage was via cassette tape, I suppose the lack of printing was not too surprising. After mastering CP/M in the early 1980’s, I was forced to migrate to PC-DOS, and then to Windows. In 1987 I switched to the Mac because of the frustration and inconsistencies from one Windows program to the next with regard to open, close, print, save, help (etc.) commands, and was delighted to find them identical across all Mac programs. And now, 27 years later, I ** find an application with NO print function?**

After some searching and struggling, I installed the SublimePrint package, but it took HOURS to find it and get it working.

It seemed clear to me (or so I thought) that the Distraction-Free Mode was made available for composing plain-text material on an empty screen. This should be great for writing essays, book chapters, research papers, etc. I love it! However, doesn’t it then follow that I would want to PRINT the resulting document?

I am gobsmacked! And I live in Oregon – so that’s saying something.

ejg

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#6

I’ve used plenty of programs, including IDE’s and editors with no print command. Some of them (as with Sublime) have it added as a plugin. In fact, I can count on 2 hands the number of times I’ve had to print code in the last decade. It’s easy to find anecdotal evidence to support needing printing or not needing printing. The fact is, that because Sublime is a text editor, editing text and doing it well is the priority, and not printing.

If you are using Sublime to do plain text, you might look into using markdown, and there are a number of plugins for working with markdown, including those that open your default browser with the processed markdown document, which you could then print.

Nimzow, have you tried turning of atomic saves?

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#7

I’ve seen this argument in different variations like: “in my work, I have only rarely (or never) had the need for this feature, so if you need it, you must be doing it wrong.”, or “This program which is capable of so many things, should not have this feature because it is not a main focus for a text editor.”, I like neither argument, first of all, the program is on its 3rd major version, it is a really costly editor, and still lacks a feature, which for a text editor many of us consider extremely relevant: namely printing.

I use Sublime for applying quick changes to texts, and locating problems in larger code sections, mostly since I am stuck with Eclipse at work, which is in all aspects, in my oppinion, a horible IDE for developing code. Sublime text is fast, and great for applying quick changes to text. Mostly I find it useful for search and replacement in data files. I’ve heavily modified my version of Sublime which is another great feature of it, it is easy to write plugins for. But the lack of such essential feature as printing, is simply hilarious to be honest, and the fact that it has low priority is to say the least strange.

It is mentioned in so many posts on the forum, that counting them starts to become difficult, and still the argument is the same. Either use a 3rd party plugin (of which I’ve tried a lot, all of which I find suboptimal), or if you need to print you are doing it wrong, as if the person answering know how my workflow is, and what I use my text editor for. I consider windows notepad, a horrible and dreadful text editor, I’m not even the greatest fan of notepad++ but both support printing, both are free, which is more than you can say for the expensive Sublime Text.

Granted Sublime Text is miles ahead of the two on other aspects, but one of the most basic features in a text editor is printing, and that lacks, which makes me say that it might be a text editor, but only performs some of the tasks well, some of the other tasks it doesn’t perform at all.

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#8

Wow, I’ve got to admit, this one took me by surprise. I bought ST2 earlier this week having enjoyed a trial of it for the last few days or so. I came to need to print a dozen or so lines out today and struggled with the missing ‘print’ menu option. Once I’d realised it really wasn’t there, I came here to check… I’m a bit surprised that I have to paste my text back into TextMate or something else in order to print it. I’m not looking for Word, I just wanted a simple monospaced font print job.

I really like ST2 but there’s no way I would have paid £40 for it had I known that printing is something requiring a bunch of additional installs, or more simply, reverting to something else. I only need to print maybe once a week, never more than a page of text at most, but even so… I didn’t even look for the print option during the trial, it’s something that I think most people would assume will be there. :smile:

Well, you’ve got my money now and the rest of the package is great. But if anyone on the ST team reads this stuff, really it ought to have a basic print function. Really, it’s not a lot to ask :smile:

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#9

Nope. Editor is for editing.

Installing one plugin is not “dozen of work”. I’ve did it when I needed print some code, ctrl+p - “install package”, “print”, Enter. That’s simple.

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#10

I guess I’ve taken wrong turn somewhere on my Mac (Yosemite); I tried to put a package called SublimePrint into my system, I needed to install enscript (which is apparently no longer shipped as part of Yosemite), to do this I first need to install MacPorts or HomeBrew… then to make that work I need to install Xcode command line tools…

I have no idea where this rabbit hole ends, but after 15 minutes of messing around with Google and my Mac I’m still nowhere nearer printing.

I’ll just use TextMate instead. I really really wish I’d known about this before I’d bought it - lesson very much learnt here :frowning:

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#11

HomeBrew seems simpler, I’ve installed it once on gf laptop in couple of minutes. Still OSX < Linux.

“but after 15 minutes of messing around with Google” - …

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#12

Yeah, in hindsight I wish I’d gone down the HomeBrew route, not MacPorts. Still, the rabbit hole did come to an end, and SublimePrint does work on Yosemite if you just follow through all the bits and pieces with a bit of patience. :smile:

I stand by my initial assertion that the program could really use a crude monofont text print, though. :smile:

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#13

Really? Then Web Browsers are for Web Browsing…but they also print. BTW install package - print does not work on latest Macs - its a nightmare.

This editor has potential to be truly awesome, it has the best user interface and display of any other, but the lack of printing is keeping it from adoption and therefore limiting its potential. No question, I would buy this in a heart beat if it had built in printing.

Wake up sublime… if this is a tree hugger issue, get over it and earn money for all you excellent hard work.

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#14

[quote=“robsoft”]

Yeah, in hindsight I wish I’d gone down the HomeBrew route, not MacPorts. Still, the rabbit hole did come to an end, and SublimePrint does work on Yosemite if you just follow through all the bits and pieces with a bit of patience. :smile:

I stand by my initial assertion that the program could really use a crude monofont text print, though. :smile:[/quote]

That is my print plugin. I just checked the readme file, and it does state that you should use Homebrew to install enscript if necessary. I hadn’t noticed that enscript is no longer installed by default in Yosemite, since, apparently, I have not even tried to print once since I upgraded. But of course YMMV.

ETA: It has not been installed by default in a long time. What happened was that I did a clean install instead of an upgrade for Yosemite, so that meant also reinstalling my Homebrew packages.

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