Who else hates "Let Windows Manage my default printer"?

By +Warwagon
in Microsoft (Windows)

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Who else hates "Let Windows Manage your default printer"?  

32 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you Let Windows Manage your Default Printer?

    • Yes
      11
    • No
      18

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Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

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Posted

For the record, I'm aware that this can be disabled inside Printers and Scanners. But Jesus, who finds this feature useful?  How does windows know what printer I want to print use? Just because I printed to a printer doesn't mean I want to print to it again the next time.

 

With this feature enabled, on more than one occasion I had just finished printing off some labels, when I went to go print something else in word and windows, though "Oh you must want to use your label printer again" it then sent a 4 page document to my label printer and it started ###### out a copious amounts of labels.

 

The words "No no No No No No No No No ...could be heard as I'm reaching for the power plug of my label printer"

 

On other occasions, my QuickBooks computer would just randomly select a printer to print to. It annoyed me until finally I researched what the ###### was going on and realized it's not a bug it's a feature.

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Grand Master

oldtimefighter

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Anyone who votes yes should have their Neowin account banned...

  • d5aqoëp, T3X4S and Depicus
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Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

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2 minutes ago, LimeMaster said:

Have you created a suggestion in the Feedback app to try make it disabled by default?

 

No, but I did up-vote someone who already suggested it be disabled by default.

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Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

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5 minutes ago, oldtimefighter said:

Anyone who votes yes should have their Neowin account banned...

 

So far 1 person needs to be banned.. ;)

  • oldtimefighter
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Grand Master

TAZMINATOR

Posted
Posted

That's why you need extra PC for that specific printing job.

 

For example: you have a PC for regular printing jobs such as letters.

 

Other PC is for labels. 

 

If you don't want to get another PC then you have to change the printer in the printing popup dialog before print job starts.

 

 

I don't use the printer anymore.

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Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

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3 minutes ago, TAZMINATOR said:

That's why you need extra PC for that specific printing job.

 

For example: you have a PC for regular printing jobs such as letters.

 

Other PC is for labels. 

 

If you don't want to get another PC then you have to change the printer in the printing popup dialog before print job starts.

 

 

I don't use the printer anymore.

 
 

 

2313374-jackie_chan_wtf_macro-1-.png

 

No, If I print labels, my label printer software selects it's own printer automatically. If I was in another label application I would select the printer I want to use. The problem windows creates (by default) is when you print a label and then go to print a document. Windows will select the last printer used (label printer), which unless you are aware of it can really annoy a person. Manually selecting which printer you wish to use is not that big of a deal.

  • +E.Worm Jimmy
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Grand Master

TAZMINATOR

Posted
Posted
14 minutes ago, warwagon said:

No, If I print labels, my label printer software selects it's own printer automatically. If I was in another label application I would select the printer I want to use. The problem windows creates (by default) is when you print a label and then go to print a document. Windows will select the last printer used (label printer), which unless you are aware of it can really annoy a person. Manually selecting which printer you wish to use is not that big of a deal.

I know what you meant ... That's why you have to select the printer before the print job starts.    That's what it is.  I know some people are sick of manually change the printer before the printing job starts.  

 

To make life easier, get another PC for that specific print job. So you won't have to worry about switching the printer manually.

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Veteran

+Biscuits Brown MVC

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Well, I only have one printer so I'm not sure what point there would be in NOT letting Windows manage my printers. I suppose if I had more than one, I'd disable it.

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Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, warwagon said:

For the record, I'm aware that this can be disabled inside Printers and Scanners. But Jesus, who finds this feature useful?  How does windows know what printer I want to print use? Just because I printed to a printer doesn't mean I want to print to it again the next time.

 

With this feature enabled, on more than one occasion I had just finished printing off some labels, when I went to go print something else in word and windows, though "Oh you must want to use your label printer again" it then sent a 4 page document to my label printer and it started ###### out a copious amounts of labels.

 

The words "No no No No No No No No No ...could be heard as I'm reaching for the power plug of my label printer"

 

On other occasions, my QuickBooks computer would just randomly select a printer to print to. It annoyed me until finally I researched what the ###### was going on and realized it's not a bug it's a feature.

As I only have one printer, it's enabled on my machines. Most people only ever have one printer.

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Grand Master

+Warwagon MVC

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Just now, Dot Matrix said:

As I only have one printer, it's enabled on my machines. Most people only ever have one printer.

 

Well actually, Microsoft Print to PDF is a printer and XPS is a printer too or "Send to Onenote" ... all of which were randomly selected when that feature was turned on.

  • +E.Worm Jimmy
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Grand Master

TAZMINATOR

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6 minutes ago, warwagon said:

Well actually, Microsoft Print to PDF is a printer and XPS is a printer too or "Send to Onenote" ... all of which were randomly selected when that feature was turned on.

In that case, you can set the printer as default so it won't select the alternative printer randomly.  It will use that printer you selected as default.  If no default, it will use random printer depends on what you have in the printer list like you just mentioned it.

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Grand Master

PsYcHoKiLLa

Posted
Posted (edited)

I think you should be able to set a default printer by application, so if you're in a label making program you can set that to use a label printer, any office applications can be set to use a normal printer. At the moment most software just uses the Windows printing apis.

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Grand Master

xendrome

Posted
Posted

Make a GPO to add a registry entry to "Update" this key

 

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Windows]
"LegacyDefaultPrinterMode"=dword:00000001

 

Or just use Regedit for a single computer, works great.

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Proficient

erpster3

Posted
Posted (edited)

thanks for the registry tip, xendrome.  I actually have two physical printers (an HP Officejet 6500a Plus E710n and a Lexmark Impact S305) and I definitely should not let Windows 10 v1607 decide my default printer.  The two printers are placed in different rooms in my house and the user (either me or my family members) should decide what printer to use when printing, not Windows.

 

Btw, the HP and Lexmark printers I mentioned are "wireless" printers, meaning they are connected to a WiFi network in my house.

 

 

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Grand Master

farmeunit

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Posted

We see and issue with Adobe Reader where it only prints to the default printer, no matter which is selected.  So you need to make sure the default is set before trying to print.  Adobe says it works "as designed".....

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Grand Master

d5aqoëp

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Posted

The problem with Windows managing our printer is Windows will download some crappy driver and it will mess up your printouts with wrong margins or nag you to buy a genuine toner because the new driver can now detect a refilled toner.

 

 

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Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
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4 minutes ago, d5aqoëp said:

The problem with Windows managing our printer is Windows will download some crappy driver and it will mess up your printouts with wrong margins or nag you to buy a genuine toner because the new driver can now detect a refilled toner.

 

 

Since when? Windows has always downloaded the correct drivers for me. When I plugged in my new printer a few weeks ago, it recognized it as an HP, and directed me to the correct place for the correct drivers. 

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Grand Master

+Fahim S. MVC

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It's made for users with portable machines that move between locations where each location has a printer.

Makes sense in that case.

 

As a person that moves around in this way, yes it's a very useful feature.

On ‎2017‎-‎03‎-‎21 at 8:54 PM, oldtimefighter said:

Anyone who votes yes should have their Neowin account banned...

OK... when you take over the forum, you are welcome to try to ban me.

  • Jim K and adrynalyne
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