In Mac OS X there is a way to print documents right from the desktop, without having to open up the application first. This is done by creating a "Desktop Printer," essentially an alias that you can drag and drop files on to print them.

The settings to do this are in the Printer setup Utility, which is accessible through System Preferences. Load up System preferences (from the Dock or in the Apple Menu) and choose Print and Fax. Once this preference pane has loaded, click the Printer Setup button, which will load up a Printer Info dialog. Now press Command-L to show the printer list.

Your printer(s) will be listed here. Select the printer you want to use, Go to the Printers menu and choose "Create Desktop Printer..." This will bring up a dialog asking where you want to save it. An ideal place is the desktop, which allows easy access, or a folder containing all your printers if you have more than one.

Clicking save will create an icon for your printer in the loaction you have chosen. To print a file, just drag and drop it onto the icon. Many documents will just instantly print, however others will launch the application and open up the Print dialog for you.

Note: Some stages of this process can be very slow if you are using shared printers. Be aware you could be waiting with a spinning beachball for a while if your network is a little slow.