PrintBoy 7.0 Windows Mobile printing software allows you to print directly to a printer via Infrared, WIFI, Bluetooth or Serial connection. With PrintBoy you won't need to use another computer's print connection to print, but it is somewhat limited in the file formats it supports: Word Mobile (native .doc files); Text files (.txt); Adobe PDF files (.pdf); and Pocket Outlook (Mail) 

PrintBoy Proxy Server

My printers are connected to my network through a Belkin Print server.  The Belkin Print server does not assign a unique IP address to my printers and I discovered through much trial and error that the only way I can print from a Pocket PC to my network printers is by sharing the printers through a connected network computer.  In order to print from my Pocket PCs, I needed to use PrintBoy's Proxy Server for Windows software.

PrintBoy Proxy Server is free and runs as a Windows application.  It redirects all print jobs to any printer that is attached to my computer (network printers or local printers) via a wireless connection.  To use PrintBoy Proxy Server:

1. Download and unzip the PrintBoy Proxy Server software to a folder on your Windows computer.  The zip file consists of two files:  pbproxy.ini and printboy.exe. 
2. Initiate the PrintBoy Proxy Server on your computer by double clicking the printboy.exe file.
3. The software initial configuration is set to "HP LaserJet" on port 9100, but you can change these settings by selecting
   • Options > Configure Printer, and choose the printer that is available from your PC
   • You can leave the port at 9100

If you plan to use the Proxy Server frequently to print from your mobile device, you may want to post a shortcut for the exe file to your desktop.

Configuring PrintBoy on a Mobile Device

When you install PrintBoy to your mobile device, you'll find a folder in the programs screen for PrintBoy that contains two icons.  Selecting the Print Setup icon takes you through three print configuration screens where you will select a print driver for your printer, set  the communication type and related settings, and select the paper size and left margin settings.   

PrintBoy can be used with many different printers: Brother, Canon, Citizen, Epson, Extech, HandPrint, HP & Compatibles, HP Deskjet 460, Intermec, Lexmark, Oneil, Panasonic, Paxar, Printek, Seiko, Star, Zebra. 

See "PrintBoy Printer Compatibility Matrix" for a comprehensive listing of printers that can be used.

My primary printer is an HP laser printer, so I selected HP & Compatibles. If you can not select your specific printer, you can try selecting a similar printer or the "generic" printer.

Selecting "Next" takes you to the Communication settings screen, where you will specify:

• Communication Type:  Infrared, Bluetooth, Network, or Serial. Since my HP LaserJet is a network printer, I selected Network.
• Communication Settings:  These settings will change depending on the communication type selected.
  • Infrared:  No communication settings are available
  • Bluetooth:  To find the Serial Port that is used on your mobile device:
    • For WM5.0 or WM6.0 devices:
      • Establish a Bluetooth partnership between your mobile device and printer.
        • Turn on the mobile device's Bluetooth radio, select Bluetooth Connections
        • Tap New > Explore a Bluetooth device > Next.  Bluetooth will search for Bluetooth devices.  Select the device that is your printer
        • If prompted for a passkey, enter the printer's default passkey (check the printer documentation for this)
        • When the partnership between the mobile device and printer is achieved, select "Serial Support Service" from the list of available services
        • Go to the COM ports tab and select a new Outbound port.  The port number assigned here should match the COM port number you enter in PrintBoy's Communication Setup screen.
    • For Windows Mobile 2003 se (or earlier) devices:
      • Tap Start > Settings > Connections tab > Bluetooth icon > Services tab. 
      • In the Bluetooth Services windows, find and highlight "Serial Port," then tap the Advanced button. 
      • You will use the number that is shown in the Outgoing COM Port box
  • Network:
    • IP Address: Input the IP address of the network printer.  Since I am using a Proxy Server, I input the IP address of my networked computer.
    • Port #:   You can find the Port number that is used by your printer by selecting Start > Settings > Printers & Faxes.  Then highlight the printer you wish to use and right click on your mouse button.  Select Properties > Ports tab.  The Proxy Server software uses a default Port setting of 9100, so this is the Port # I used.
  •  Serial:
    • Serial Port: Choose appropriate COM port
    • Speed: Choose  from 9600 - 115200

Selecting Next takes you to the last Print Setup page where you can select

• Paper Size:  Letter (8.5 x 11); Legal (8.5 x 14); Franklin (Monarch, Classic, Compact or Pocket); Executive; A4; A5; A6; Envelop (#10, DL, C5, or Monarch)
• Left Margin (in inches):  0, .25, .5, .75, 1, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2)

After you've set your printing preferences, you'll see your current driver settings.  Tapping the "Configure" button will take you through the three setup screens where you can change any option to match your preferences.

Printing from a Mobile Device

When you're ready to print a document from your Pocket PC, you'll need to prepare your device based on the communication type selected; activate the PrintBoy Proxy Server (if used); and initiate the print job from the mobile device.

Prepare your mobile device

• Infrared: Line up the infrared ports on the printer and the mobile device
• Bluetooth: Turn on the mobile device's Bluetooth radio.  You may need to use the Bluetooth manager to detect the Bluetooth printer.
• Network:  Turn on the mobile device's WIFI radio and connect to the network.  You can also use ActiveSync's internet passthrough connection
• Serial

Activate PrintBoy Proxy Server (only if used)

If you are using the PrintBoy Proxy Server, select the printboy.exe file on your desktop computer to activate the Proxy Server:

Initiate the print job from the mobile device

Tapping the  Start > Programs > PrintBoy folder > PrintBoy icon takes you to a screen where you can navigate to the file you wish to print.  Tapping a file uploads the file to PrintBoy.  Once the file is set to print you can select a few more Print Options:  Print File Name,  and/or Print Page Numbers.  Then tap the Print button. 

Supported File Types

Supported Printers

PrintBoy is compatible with many different printers.  See the Printer Compatibility Matrix for a comprehensive listing of supported printers.

Final Thoughts and Observations

The software does not support Word tables very well and the formatting of printed documents is somewhat different than what you'd get if you printed the document from a desktop computer.  For instance, if you select to print page numbers, the page number will be displayed at the upper right hand side of the page; the print margin setting only sets the margin on the left side of the page (not the right side).

The software has not been updated in at least a year.  For at least a year the website has stated that native .xls files and RTF formatted files will be supported in a future release.

I do not know if WM6.0 or WM6.1 devices are supported.  The email inquiry I sent to the developer several weeks ago has never been answered.

Links

• PrintBoy Proxy Server for Windows
• PrintBoy Printer Compatibility Matrix
• PrintBoy for Windows Mobile Documentation

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