Macintosh Default Printer Settings

Ok, WOW!  Sometimes an easy answer is just not an easy place to be found!  This one has shocked me!!!  Here is the scoop.  In the office where I work, we have a colour printer.  Its on a maintenance contract and we pay 9 cents for every colour page used.  and yes, I spell colour with a U!   I am Canadian after all eh!?

I have a fleet of Macs in the office and I could NOT figure out how to change the default printer settings.  Yes, sure I could create a new preset, but then I have to assume that my users would remember to change the setting every time they printed.  Lets be real here, thats not going to happen!  I don't blame the users, hell I have forgotten and I am a systems guy and the one who has to answer for the higher than normal printer costs.  I just wanted to be clear on that.

So, back to the point.  You want to know how to adjust the printer defaults so the user will not have to make changes every time they print.  I did see a posting where you could start hand editing some .plist files, but lets not get into that.  Why not just change the defaults.

So here's how.  Apple probably doesn't want you to think you are using a UNIX style system.  But you are  :)   That being said, the system uses CUPS (Common Unix Printing System)  Most people are not aware that CUPS runs a local web service where you can make changes to the....  wait for  it..... DEFAULTS!!!!

1. Go here:    http://127.0.0.1:631/printers  (Yes this is a local address {Its on your computer})
2. Select the printer you want to change the defaults on.
3. On the drop box that says, Administration, select Set Default Options!
4. Make your setting changes (remember, there are other option classes on the top (Options Installed, General Banners etc...)  Go through them too.
5. Click Set Default Options
6. You will now be prompted for a user name/password.  Use your Macintosh Login credentials and you are done!

NOTE:  If you don't use a Mac Password at login, that's horrible!!!  I will not tell you about the security issues with that here, only that you will need to set a login password.  You can do this while the password dialog is up, click APPLE > System Preferences > Accounts.   Set a password (leaving your old password box blank.  you can now go back to the web CUPS interface and use the new password.

I don't understand for the likes of me why Apple has not gotten around to making this a Mac UI select-able option.  But there you have it!     Enjoy!    I hope my coworkers like me today, now I can take back all the user codes and passwords I was ab out to make them use to print!!!