ALIVE Magic Print Setup Wizard

The first time you open ALIVE Magic Print, a 4-step setup wizard walks you through everything you need to get printing. No guesswork, no manuals — just follow the steps and you'll be ready before your first guest arrives.

Step 1 — Detect

The wizard starts by scanning your system for physical printers. It checks every connected printer and shows you a list of the top candidates, along with their current status (online or offline).

[screenshot: Setup wizard Step 1 showing detected printers with online/offline status]

If your printer doesn't appear, make sure it's connected via USB and powered on. The wizard only finds printers that your operating system already recognizes.

Install your printer drivers before running the setup wizard. If your computer can print a test page from Windows settings, ALIVE Magic Print will find it.

Step 2 — Configure

Once you've confirmed your printer, the wizard creates two dedicated print queues automatically:

Alive Standard — Used for single-image prints (4x6 cards, full-frame layouts)
Alive Strips — Used for two-column strip prints (two 2x6 strips side by side on a 4x6 sheet)

Having separate queues means each print mode gets its own optimized settings — no switching back and forth during an event.

[screenshot: Setup wizard Step 2 showing queue creation with Alive Standard and Alive Strips]

On Windows, the system may prompt you for administrator elevation during this step. This is normal — creating print queues requires admin access. Click Yes when prompted.

Step 3 — Test

Now for the satisfying part. The wizard generates test patterns for both Standard and Strips modes. Print a test page for each to verify:

Print quality — Colors accurate, no banding or artifacts
Alignment — Image centered, no cropping or offset
Paper feed — Paper loads and ejects correctly

[screenshot: Setup wizard Step 3 with test print buttons for Standard and Strips]

Print test pages for both modes, even if you only plan to use one. Events have a way of changing plans at the last minute, and you'll want both queues ready.

Step 4 — Ready

The wizard confirms that both print queues have been created and displays their names. At this point, your computer is fully set up as a print server.

All that's left is connecting your iPad to ALIVE Magic Print — the app will show a QR code and server URL for pairing.

[screenshot: Setup wizard Step 4 showing confirmation and queue names]

Tips for a Smooth Setup

Run the wizard before your first event — Don't save this for the venue. Set up at your studio, test everything, and arrive at the event confident.
Test both print modes — Standard and Strips use different queues with different settings. Verify both.
Re-run if you change printers — Swapping printers? Run the wizard again so the queues are configured for the new hardware.
Keep printer drivers up to date — Outdated drivers can cause detection failures or print quality issues.

What's Next?

Connecting ALIVE Magic Print to Your Photobooth — Pair your iPad
Print Queue and Job Management

Next step: Connecting ALIVE Magic Print to Your Photobooth — Understand how jobs flow through the system

Updated on: 22/03/2026

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