Scenario - A user calls and reports that their printout never appeared after he/she has sent it to the printer.
Solution - The print job most likely has gone to another network printer. The default printer should be changed to the desired printer, or the user should select the correct printer for that particular document.
Most users like to have a choice of printers, so that several printers have been installed for use on their workstation. For most day-to-day tasks, a black and white printer is probably the most economical to use, and at times a color printer may be needed. Some users have access to a local printer as well as shared network printers. Regardless of how many printers are configured, one printer is always designated as the "default" printer.
Users can select a number of methods to "send a print job"; but when a user selects the printer icon from the standard toolbar of most applications (shown below), it is sent directly to the default printer. This may not be the best method to use if the document you are sending is confidential and you would like an opportunity to confirm that the document is, in fact, being sent to the correct printer.
If you're unsure as to what printer is set up as the default, select the File, Print menu command. This displays more information in the Print dialog box and allows you to make specific selections prior to printing. In the example below, the Comment: field shows that this printout will go to the Tektronix Phaser 850DP printer in the Learning Technology Center.
1. From the Windows desktop, open the Start menu, and select Settings, Printers. The black check on the printer icon indicates that it has been set as the default printer. Anything you print will go to that printer unless you explicitly select another printer.
If you right-click on this icon and select Properties, information on the location and model of the printer will be displayed. The particular printer shown is using the CTHP41 printer queue, is located in CIT office, and is using an HP LaserJet 8000 series PCL 6 driver.
To select a different printer as your default, simply select the new printer's icon, right-click and choose "Set as Default Printer".
In this example, the LTTK850 printer is now the default.
NOTE: It isn't necessary to change the default printer in order to send a print job to another location. Within the application, select File, Print... Then from the drop-down list select your printer of choice. This does not change the default printer, but only the destination of this particular print job.
Macintosh users on campus either print from OS X or the OS 9 (classic) environment. While all Office applications run in OS X, Outlook runs in Classic mode. Within the Print Center in OS X (available on the Dock), the default printer is designated with a circular icon next to the default printer name. To change the default printer, select the Printer menu command and choose Make Default. Within the OS 9 Chooser, the selected printer may have an IP address (128.200.32) instead of a printer name.
Regardless of whether Macintosh users are in the OS X or OS 9 environment; it is difficult to see specific information about the type of printer and, more importantly, the location of the printer. If you are unsure as to what printer is your default, or unsure as to where your print jobs are being sent, please call the CIT Help desk at 465-2309.