Each model of printer can have its own set
of unique user-selectable options. The two main categories of printer
options are media handling and printer output. In general, media
handling options are used to set the way a printer handles the media.
This can include input paper tray selection, output path selection,
media size and orientation as well as paper weight selection. Printer
output options deal with how the ink or toner is placed on the media.
Color management, print quality, and print speed are common printer
output options. While some printer options can be selected through
physical switches located on the printer, most printer options are now
configured through the printer driver. There are two methods of
selecting individual printer options:
- Global Method – When printer options are configured
globally, these options become the default for the printer. This
means that each time a document is printed, unless overridden by
per-document selections, these options will be used. Global
printer configuration changes are made by choosing (from the
Windows desktop) Start, then Settings, and choosing the
Printer
folder. Right-click on the individual printer, and choose
Properties. The Printer Properties dialog box displays all of the
printer options. Configuration changes to the printer at this
point must be applied to become the default printer settings. For
example, if a user prefers not to use the color-capabilities of
their ink-jet printer, the user can select to print in black only.
Even though these settings become the defaults, they can be
overridden using the per-document method of configuring printer
options.
- Per-Document Method – Most modern computer users print
many different types of documents. Letters, spreadsheets, and digital
images are common document types that may require different
settings to be configured on the printer before output. Most
computer applications allow the user to override any globally
selected printer options through the use of per-document printer
settings. Within the application used to create the document, a
user can select Print Setup from the File menu to access printer
options. The default settings will appear but can be changed for
the specific document to be printed. A user that has been writing
letters using a word processor may want to change the color and
print quality options of a particular printer before printing out
a full-color photograph.
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