TMO Quick Tip - Printer Presets

by , 7:30 AM EDT, October 19th, 2007

If you spend any time modifying print settings before outputting a file, you know what a tedious process that can be. If you have to do it over and over, it's more than tedious -- it's a real pain. Luckily, someone at Apple agrees, so Mac OS X lets you create printer setting groups as presets.

Here's how:

• Modify as many settings as you need in the Print dialog.
• Now choose Save As from the Presets pop-up menu.
• Give your printer setting group an appropriate name, and then click OK.

Save printer settings as presets.

Now instead of seeing Standard as the only option in the Presets pop-up menu, you will also see your custom-made presets. Just choose the group you want, and all of the changes you previously made to your printer settings will automatically be applied.

I set up different presets for my printers to save toner, and to print only in black and white. This trick also saves time and helps prevent errors when you have a long list of settings to change.

The downside is that this only works in applications that use the Print dialog that's built into Mac OS X. If you are using professional design applications like Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, or QuarkXPress, you'll have to rely on the app's own print dialog tools.

This Quick Tip was adapted from The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X Tiger.

Jeff Gamet is TMO's Morning Editor and Reviews Editor. He lectures, teaches and speaks on Mac OS X and design-related topics, and is the author of The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X from Peachpit Press.

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