Outlook vs AutoPrintEmail: Which Is Better for Auto Printing?

If you’ve ever tried to get Outlook to automatically print emails or attachments, you’ve probably run into one of these:

• A “Rules Wizard” that only works half the time
• Zero support for attachments
• Hours spent on clunky VBA scripts or third-party plugins
• And an overwhelming urge to throw your printer out the window

So let’s settle it:

Is Outlook good enough for automatic printing?

Or should you use a dedicated tool like AutoPrintEmail?

Table of Contents

• 🥊 Outlook’s Auto-Print Capabilities: What Works (and What Doesn’t)
  • ✅ What Outlook Can Do:
  • ❌ What Outlook Can't Do:
• 🚀 AutoPrintEmail: Built for One Job — and It Nails It
  • 🔧 What It Can Do (That Outlook Can’t):
• 🧾 Real Use Cases Outlook Struggles With
• 🤔 So... Should You Use Outlook or AutoPrint?
• 🖨️ Try AutoPrintEmail Free

🥊 Outlook’s Auto-Print Capabilities: What Works (and What Doesn’t)

Microsoft Outlook does offer some “Rules” for automating your inbox — but when it comes to printing, things get… awkward.

✅ What Outlook Can Do:

• Create rules that trigger when emails arrive
• Automatically print the email body (sometimes)
• Print to your default printer

❌ What Outlook Can't Do:

• Print attachments (natively)
• Choose specific printers based on rules
• Work outside Windows
• Handle Gmail or IMAP inboxes
• Run reliably without extra configuration or plugins

Want to auto-print attachments in Outlook? You’ll need to:

• Install a third-party plugin (like Sperry Auto Print)
• Pay extra
• Hope it plays nice with your Outlook version
• Keep your desktop Outlook open 24/7

It’s technically possible — just not built-in, not easy, and not reliable.

🚀 AutoPrintEmail: Built for One Job — and It Nails It

AutoPrintEmail is a lightweight desktop app designed for one thing:

Automatically printing emails and attachments from Gmail, Outlook, or IMAP — without you lifting a finger.

🔧 What It Can Do (That Outlook Can’t):

You connect your account, pick a label/folder (like "Invoices" or "To Print"), and select what to print (email body, attachments, or both). That’s it.

It runs quietly in the background and just does the thing.

🧾 Real Use Cases Outlook Struggles With

🤔 So... Should You Use Outlook or AutoPrint?

If you:

• Already live inside desktop Outlook (Windows only)
• Only need to print plain-text emails occasionally
• Don’t mind managing plugins, macros, or complex rules...

Then maybe Outlook is just okay enough.

But if you:

• Need to print attachments automatically
• Want it to work on Mac, Gmail, or IMAP
• Hate fiddling with scripts or rules
• Just want your emails to print themselves

Then AutoPrintEmail is the better, simpler, and more powerful choice. Whether you're automatically printing invoices and contracts or managing other workflows, it's designed to just work.

🖨️ Try AutoPrintEmail Free

You don't need to uninstall Outlook — just stop trying to make it do what it wasn't designed to do.

AutoPrintEmail works with Outlook (or without it), and gives you features it never will.

🖨️ → Download AutoPrintEmail — free 3-day trial, no limits.

After the trial? Just $199 for a lifetime license. No monthly fees like Sperry Software or complex API setup like PrintNode. See how we compare to other tools.

For a complete walkthrough of how automated email printing works, read our automated email printing guide.

Because automation should save time, not create another to-do list.