Today I needed to print something that is on the microSD card in the Surface and it struck me that I hadn't tested the printing. In fact. I've never had the opportunity or need to print from a tablet. I did try to get that working from my Windows Phone 7 with no luck. This is something I feel that Microsoft could excel at if they'd just do it. Productivity is the realm of the PC.
Anyway, I went to the control panel and to devices. I clicked on "add printer" and it immediately picked up my Brother 2170n. Next, ok, etc... print from Word 2013. Worked perfectly the first time.
I am a bit surprised. I don't know why this would be EASIER than in Windows 7, but it was. The only prompt I got was to use some sort of generic print driver (OK/Cancel).
Now granted, basic print drivers are pretty standardized... mostly the added features and benefits of OEM drivers are the extra stuff like ink level checking, etc. I have always hated the extras because they are generally buggy and bloated. So this tactic of using a simple, basic driver for "most" printers suits me just fine as long as the printed page looks like it should.
Before this simple network printer install, the default printer was OneNote. There is also an option for XPS in there. Neither of these options are good. I feel like XPS is a waste of time. We don't need another goofy format from Microsoft that will just go unsupported ASAP.
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