But keep in mind that this automation process cannot be done through a web app like Gmail.com or Outlook.com. So far, only email clients are capable of achieving this functionality. Chrome and Firefox have a number of extensions/add-ons that will make printing email attachments easier and faster, but they aren’t capable of automating the whole process.
Using email clients to automatically print email attachments
Using an email client like Outlook or Thunderbird opens up a whole new avenue of automating possibilities. With the right extensions, add-ins, and/or scripts, you can configure your email client to print any queue, including your Inbox. You can then set specific rules to print the email followed by the attachment, or print the attachment exclusively.You can get even more specific by configuring your email client to print based on the sender or based on the file type of the attachment. Note: Your email provider is not important. As long as you use a dedicated email client like Outlook or Thunderbird, this should work with any email provider (Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.) if they are configured properly. If you’re using Outlook, there are a lot of paid add-ins that will enable you to do this with ease. Here are some good examples:
Office AddinsEZDetachAuto PrintPrint Tools for Outlook
Note: All of the add-ins above will cost over $20, but most of them will offer a trial period. If you’re not looking to spend money, there are free alternatives to automate the printing of your email attachments. But keep in mind that you’ll need to spend some time tweaking on your email client. In the event that you decide to go this route, allow us to make your job easier. We have included three step-by-step methods that will help you achieve this functionality with your email account. The most elegant solution that will automatically print emails and email attachments is to use a dedicated software. But configuring an external email manager to automate this process will eventually require you to spend some money. Follow Method 1 to configure Automatic Email Manager 6 to print your email and email attachments. They offer a 30 days trial period, so you’ll be able to try it out for free before spending any money. The second method (Method 2) implies adding a VBA script and a rule to Outlook. Although it will require you to get quite technical, it’s the most efficient guide out of the two. If you’re not particularly fond of Outlook, you can go another route (Method 3) and use Thunderbird along with two extensions to automatically print your email. When you’re ready to start, follow one of the methods below to automate the printing of your email attachments. Let’s begin.
Method 1: Using Automatic Email Manager 6 to print email attachments
If you’re not using a dedicated email client like Outlook or Thunderbird, then configuring an external email manager is the most reliable solution. Automatic Email Manager 6 will allow you to connect any email box including POP3, IMAP4, Exchange, 365, Gmail, Yahoo, and the list goes on. The software will allow you to define specific actions using an intuitive rule system. It will allow you to print from specific senders or print only the attachments from the emails. Follow the guide below to install and configure Automatic Email Manager 6 to automatically print emails and email attachments:
After you hit OK, Automatic email manager will begin checking your inbox and print out anything that meets the criteria you previously established.
Method 2: Using Outlook to Automatically Print Email Attachments
Outlook is the most popular email client, so if your job revolves around your email account, chances are you’re already using it. Outlook is highly configurable and will allow you to print attachments of incoming emails. To do this, we are going to create a VBA script in Outlook and then use it with an Outlook rule. Here’s a complete walkthrough of the whole process: Note: The following steps are confirmed to work in Outlook 2016. Although we haven’t tested with older versions, the script below should theoretically work with all Outlook versions all the way back to Outlook 2010.
Creating a VBA script + rule to print email attachments automatically in Outlook
That’s it. The email attachments should automatically come out of the printer as soon as you receive them. If Not oFS Is Nothing Then Set oFS = Nothing If Not objFolder Is Nothing Then Set objFolder = Nothing If Not objFolderItem Is Nothing Then Set objFolderItem = Nothing If Not objShell Is Nothing Then Set objShell = Nothing OError: If Err <> 0 Then MsgBox Err.Number & ” – ” & Err.Description Err.Clear End If Exit Sub End Sub
Important: Keep in mind that this will only work while Outlook is opened and your email account is configured on this particular computer. Also, make sure your printer is fully configured and has all the required drivers.
Method 3: Using Thunderbird to Automatically Print Emails
Mozilla Thunderbird is a free, open source email client. The community behind is very active, allowing you to find a lot of extensions that will add to the already great functionality. Returning to the task at hand – configuring Thunderbird to automatically print emails is not hard, but will require you to invest some time. We’re going to use two extensions: FitaQuilla and Printing Tools. Note: Keep in mind that this method will not print the attachment from an email. It will only print out the title and the body of the received email. If the email’s body includes jpeg or png files, they will also be printed out. Configuring Thunderbird to print out emails automatically is fairly easy. The only minor drawback is FitaQuilla – the extension is not updated to be compatible with the latest version of Thunderbird, so you’ll need to install it manually. If you decide to use Thunderbird to print out your email attachments efficiently, follow the guide below.
Using Thunderbird + FitaQuilla + Printing Tools to automatically print email attachments
PS: This method may work or may not work. That’s it. Your Thunderbird email client is now configured to automatically print emails Make sure it’s turned on and your email is configured properly in Thunderbird.
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