Windows Printing Defaults and Printing Preferences

Configuring Printing Defaults and Printing Preferences on your Windows print server can be a quick win for smarter printing! Set options like grayscale or duplex as the default to encourage eco-friendly choices or create specialized print queues for PaperCut features like Web Print, Email to Print, or Mobility Print. Understanding Printing Defaults and Printing Preferences When managing print settings on a Windows server, Printing Defaults and Printing Preferences each serve a distinct purpose. The menu options look nearly identical, but knowing the difference ensures you’re setting options like grayscale or duplex where they’ll be most effective—whether that’s for all users or just for one. Printing Defaults Printing Preferences Configured by a system administrator on a Windows print server. Apply to all users who add the print queue to their workstation. May not apply to the built-in LocalSystem account. See note below. Configured by individual users on their workstation. Applies only to the user who set them. Overrides the Printing Defaults set on the server. Set Printing Defaults in Windows (for admins) These are the global/system defaults and will apply whenever a user adds this shared Windows printer. In the Windows search bar type printmanagement.msc and click enter. (On older versions click the Start button to make the search bar appear). Right-click on your printer and select Printer Properties. This opens the Printer Properties sheet. Go to the Advanced tab and click Printing Defaults. Configure your default print settings as needed and click Apply when done. Be aware that the options in this menu will be different depending the print driver. Note Are you hoping to set up these defaults to apply to a users who is printing through a service? Some PaperCut examples would be Email to Print, Web Print, or Mobility Print. It's common for a PaperCut customer using one of those features to set up a specialized print queue to default to a certain tray or always print in grayscale, but there's an important gotcha to keep in mind. Generally the built-in Windows account that most services run as doesn't have rights to read the Printer Defaults. So if your service is running as LocalSystem, the Printer Defaults may not apply. The answer we've found is to have this service run as a Service Account, then log in as the service account user and set the Printing Preferences. Set Printing Preferences in Windows (for users) Click on the Windows icon to open the Start menu. Go to Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners. Select the printer you want to customize, then click Printer properties. On the General tab click Preferences… Adjust print settings like duplex, grayscale, or other options, then click OK to save changes.