WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.020 --> 00:00:01.050 In this lesson, 2 00:00:01.050 --> 00:00:03.750 we're going to talk about printer configuration settings 3 00:00:03.750 --> 00:00:04.860 and how to configure those 4 00:00:04.860 --> 00:00:07.560 in a basic operating system like Windows. 5 00:00:07.560 --> 00:00:10.050 This will include things like duplex, orientation, 6 00:00:10.050 --> 00:00:12.510 tray settings and quality settings. 7 00:00:12.510 --> 00:00:15.030 Now, when it comes to your printer configuration settings, 8 00:00:15.030 --> 00:00:18.240 these are going to be contained inside the printer properties. 9 00:00:18.240 --> 00:00:20.827 In a Windows system, you'll find this under "settings", 10 00:00:20.827 --> 00:00:22.230 "Bluetooth and other devices", 11 00:00:22.230 --> 00:00:24.420 and then, under the "printers and scanners" area, 12 00:00:24.420 --> 00:00:25.950 you'll click on the printer you want to manage, 13 00:00:25.950 --> 00:00:28.020 and then click the "manage" button. 14 00:00:28.020 --> 00:00:29.970 At this point, you'll see the "printer property" 15 00:00:29.970 --> 00:00:31.350 dialogue box. 16 00:00:31.350 --> 00:00:32.340 The "printer properties" 17 00:00:32.340 --> 00:00:34.170 are going to cover many different options, 18 00:00:34.170 --> 00:00:37.020 including those related to print drivers, printer reports, 19 00:00:37.020 --> 00:00:38.520 print sharing over the network, 20 00:00:38.520 --> 00:00:40.710 setting up print permissions for other users, 21 00:00:40.710 --> 00:00:42.990 deciding when the printer is available on the network, 22 00:00:42.990 --> 00:00:45.720 printing test pages and many other things. 23 00:00:45.720 --> 00:00:47.400 When you change the printer properties, 24 00:00:47.400 --> 00:00:48.240 this only affects 25 00:00:48.240 --> 00:00:49.980 the selected printer that you're working with, 26 00:00:49.980 --> 00:00:51.870 so if you have multiple printers on your computer, 27 00:00:51.870 --> 00:00:53.100 you'll have to select each one 28 00:00:53.100 --> 00:00:54.990 that you want to make changes to. 29 00:00:54.990 --> 00:00:57.060 Inside the "printer property" dialogue box, 30 00:00:57.060 --> 00:00:59.760 you'll see this window broken down in the numerous tabs, 31 00:00:59.760 --> 00:01:02.497 including "general", "sharing", "ports", 32 00:01:02.497 --> 00:01:05.017 "advanced", "color management", "security", 33 00:01:05.017 --> 00:01:05.940 "device settings", 34 00:01:05.940 --> 00:01:07.080 and "about". 35 00:01:07.080 --> 00:01:09.120 First, we have the "general" tab. 36 00:01:09.120 --> 00:01:11.280 The "general" tab will give you some basic information 37 00:01:11.280 --> 00:01:13.890 about your printer, including what features it supports 38 00:01:13.890 --> 00:01:16.560 such as does it support color or black and white? 39 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:19.170 Will it support double-sided copies or single-sided? 40 00:01:19.170 --> 00:01:21.240 Will it support stapling or not?, 41 00:01:21.240 --> 00:01:22.830 as well as what the maximum resolution is 42 00:01:22.830 --> 00:01:24.660 for that particular device. 43 00:01:24.660 --> 00:01:26.550 Under "sharing", you'll be able to control 44 00:01:26.550 --> 00:01:28.590 who the printer is going to be shared with. 45 00:01:28.590 --> 00:01:29.940 When you click on "ports", 46 00:01:29.940 --> 00:01:30.780 you'll be able to select 47 00:01:30.780 --> 00:01:33.630 information about the ports that printer is connected to. 48 00:01:33.630 --> 00:01:35.820 If you've connected your printer over USB, 49 00:01:35.820 --> 00:01:39.180 you will see that defined underneath the "ports" tab. 50 00:01:39.180 --> 00:01:41.340 Under the "advanced" tab, you'll be able to set 51 00:01:41.340 --> 00:01:43.830 some very specific things about that printer. 52 00:01:43.830 --> 00:01:46.260 For example, maybe you only want the printer to operate 53 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:47.820 between the hours of 09:00 in the morning 54 00:01:47.820 --> 00:01:49.350 and 5:00 in the afternoon. 55 00:01:49.350 --> 00:01:51.150 You can actually configure that on the printer 56 00:01:51.150 --> 00:01:52.920 under this "advanced" tab. 57 00:01:52.920 --> 00:01:53.820 In addition to this, 58 00:01:53.820 --> 00:01:56.040 you can actually create multiple queues for your printer 59 00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:57.810 inside this "advanced" tab, 60 00:01:57.810 --> 00:02:01.050 so if somebody is printing out a document over 10 pages, 61 00:02:01.050 --> 00:02:01.980 it might queue up, 62 00:02:01.980 --> 00:02:05.430 and only print after working hours starting at 5:00 PM, 63 00:02:05.430 --> 00:02:07.290 whereas anything that was 10 pages or less 64 00:02:07.290 --> 00:02:10.080 could be printed immediately during the daytime hours. 65 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:10.913 This works really well 66 00:02:10.913 --> 00:02:13.440 if you're using a single printer for the entire office 67 00:02:13.440 --> 00:02:14.580 and you don't want one person 68 00:02:14.580 --> 00:02:16.620 printing out a book that's 500 pages, 69 00:02:16.620 --> 00:02:19.530 and tying up that printer for hours during the day. 70 00:02:19.530 --> 00:02:21.660 The next tab is known as "color management", 71 00:02:21.660 --> 00:02:22.493 and this allows you 72 00:02:22.493 --> 00:02:24.690 to do some color correction settings for your printer 73 00:02:24.690 --> 00:02:27.330 if you're not happy with the quality of your printouts. 74 00:02:27.330 --> 00:02:29.370 After that, we have the "security" tab, 75 00:02:29.370 --> 00:02:30.690 and the security tab is used 76 00:02:30.690 --> 00:02:32.940 to be able to set permissions on this printer 77 00:02:32.940 --> 00:02:35.520 about who can print, who can use the printer, 78 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:36.810 who can configure the printer, 79 00:02:36.810 --> 00:02:40.140 and who can clear out things inside of the print queue. 80 00:02:40.140 --> 00:02:42.720 The next tab is known as "device settings". 81 00:02:42.720 --> 00:02:45.030 Under "device settings", we can configure things 82 00:02:45.030 --> 00:02:48.180 that are set up as installable options for our device. 83 00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:50.220 For example, if you're using a large printer 84 00:02:50.220 --> 00:02:51.900 that has two or three trays, 85 00:02:51.900 --> 00:02:54.000 you can select which one is going to be the default tray 86 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:55.740 that'll be used by that printer, 87 00:02:55.740 --> 00:02:58.230 or if your printer supports multiplexing, 88 00:02:58.230 --> 00:03:00.300 you can allow this or disable this 89 00:03:00.300 --> 00:03:03.510 based on these features under "device settings". 90 00:03:03.510 --> 00:03:05.520 And, finally, we have the "about" tab. 91 00:03:05.520 --> 00:03:08.010 The "about" tab contains information about the driver 92 00:03:08.010 --> 00:03:09.600 and the printer manufacturer, 93 00:03:09.600 --> 00:03:10.800 and this will also give you links 94 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:12.360 to the manufacturer's website, 95 00:03:12.360 --> 00:03:14.700 where you can get additional support if you need it. 96 00:03:14.700 --> 00:03:16.860 Now, in addition to the printer properties, 97 00:03:16.860 --> 00:03:18.480 there's also a dialogue box 98 00:03:18.480 --> 00:03:20.460 called the "printer preferences". 99 00:03:20.460 --> 00:03:21.600 The "printer preferences" 100 00:03:21.600 --> 00:03:24.030 is going to come up anytime you start trying to print 101 00:03:24.030 --> 00:03:25.560 from an application. 102 00:03:25.560 --> 00:03:27.930 For example, if you go into Microsoft Word, 103 00:03:27.930 --> 00:03:29.700 and you try to print out a report, 104 00:03:29.700 --> 00:03:31.680 it's going to bring up the "print" dialogue box, 105 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:34.380 and in there, there is a "printer preference" button. 106 00:03:34.380 --> 00:03:35.370 When you click on that, 107 00:03:35.370 --> 00:03:38.340 it will bring up the "printing preferences" dialogue box. 108 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:41.760 From here, you can change settings on a per-job basis, 109 00:03:41.760 --> 00:03:43.590 so if you want this report 110 00:03:43.590 --> 00:03:45.270 to be printed out in "landscape mode" 111 00:03:45.270 --> 00:03:46.650 instead of "portrait mode", 112 00:03:46.650 --> 00:03:49.500 you can change that in this dialogue box. 113 00:03:49.500 --> 00:03:51.390 Now, when it comes to printer preferences, 114 00:03:51.390 --> 00:03:53.250 there are four main configuration settings 115 00:03:53.250 --> 00:03:54.510 that you're going to find. 116 00:03:54.510 --> 00:03:57.900 This includes duplex, orientation, tray settings 117 00:03:57.900 --> 00:03:59.280 and quality. 118 00:03:59.280 --> 00:04:00.690 When you hear the word "duplex", 119 00:04:00.690 --> 00:04:03.390 I want you to associate this with the word "two", 120 00:04:03.390 --> 00:04:06.390 and this is because duplex means two sided. 121 00:04:06.390 --> 00:04:09.480 This allows us to print on both sides of the piece of paper. 122 00:04:09.480 --> 00:04:11.790 Some printers will not support "duplex mode", 123 00:04:11.790 --> 00:04:14.310 and they'll only print on one side of the paper. 124 00:04:14.310 --> 00:04:15.480 Now, the problem with this 125 00:04:15.480 --> 00:04:17.850 is if you have a document that needs to be two sided, 126 00:04:17.850 --> 00:04:18.840 you'd have to actually print out 127 00:04:18.840 --> 00:04:21.660 all of the odd number pages first, take those out, 128 00:04:21.660 --> 00:04:23.850 flip them over, put it back in the tray, 129 00:04:23.850 --> 00:04:26.130 and then print out all the even pages. 130 00:04:26.130 --> 00:04:27.600 Now, most modern printers, 131 00:04:27.600 --> 00:04:29.490 especially ones in an office environment, 132 00:04:29.490 --> 00:04:31.350 will support "duplex mode", 133 00:04:31.350 --> 00:04:33.810 which allows you to print on both sides of the paper. 134 00:04:33.810 --> 00:04:35.490 This can save you a lot of paper, 135 00:04:35.490 --> 00:04:36.510 which will reduce your costs, 136 00:04:36.510 --> 00:04:38.040 and is better for the environment, 137 00:04:38.040 --> 00:04:40.380 as well as taking up a lot less space in a binder 138 00:04:40.380 --> 00:04:42.870 when you print out documents or reports. 139 00:04:42.870 --> 00:04:44.760 Personally, I enable "duplex mode" 140 00:04:44.760 --> 00:04:46.260 by default on my printers, 141 00:04:46.260 --> 00:04:48.210 so everything I print is two sided 142 00:04:48.210 --> 00:04:50.880 unless I have a specific need to turn duplexing off 143 00:04:50.880 --> 00:04:52.680 for that particular document. 144 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:55.350 For this reason, I set "duplexing" to "enabled" 145 00:04:55.350 --> 00:04:58.590 on my "printer properties", which applies to all print jobs, 146 00:04:58.590 --> 00:05:01.260 and then I will turn it off on a specific print job 147 00:05:01.260 --> 00:05:03.420 using my "printing preferences". 148 00:05:03.420 --> 00:05:04.980 The second option you'll come across 149 00:05:04.980 --> 00:05:06.750 is known as "orientation". 150 00:05:06.750 --> 00:05:08.250 Now, if you're printing out a document, 151 00:05:08.250 --> 00:05:11.310 you probably want this to be in "portrait" orientation. 152 00:05:11.310 --> 00:05:12.840 Portrait means vertical. 153 00:05:12.840 --> 00:05:14.970 If you take a standard size piece of paper, 154 00:05:14.970 --> 00:05:17.850 the long edge is going to be vertically going up and down 155 00:05:17.850 --> 00:05:19.500 if you're in "portrait mode". 156 00:05:19.500 --> 00:05:21.480 If you use "landscape mode" on the other hand, 157 00:05:21.480 --> 00:05:23.400 you're going to turn that paper to the side, 158 00:05:23.400 --> 00:05:25.950 and the long edge is going to be going from left to right 159 00:05:25.950 --> 00:05:28.380 with the short edge going up and down. 160 00:05:28.380 --> 00:05:30.270 If you're using a text-based document, 161 00:05:30.270 --> 00:05:33.240 normally, you're going to be printing in "portrait mode". 162 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:36.300 If you're printing out a spreadsheet or a presentation, 163 00:05:36.300 --> 00:05:39.330 normally, these will be printed in "landscape mode". 164 00:05:39.330 --> 00:05:41.070 Inside your "printing preferences", 165 00:05:41.070 --> 00:05:43.320 you can select, on a per-job basis, 166 00:05:43.320 --> 00:05:44.940 do you want this thing to be printed out 167 00:05:44.940 --> 00:05:47.160 in "portrait mode" or "landscape mode"? 168 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:48.600 And depending on what you're printing, 169 00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:51.840 if it's wider than taller, you want it in "landscape mode". 170 00:05:51.840 --> 00:05:53.970 If you want something that is taller than wider, 171 00:05:53.970 --> 00:05:56.040 you'll print it in "portrait mode". 172 00:05:56.040 --> 00:05:57.390 The third option you'll come across 173 00:05:57.390 --> 00:06:00.360 in your "print preferences" is your "tray" setting. 174 00:06:00.360 --> 00:06:03.180 Now, if you're using a small ink jet printer at home, 175 00:06:03.180 --> 00:06:04.770 you likely only have a single tray 176 00:06:04.770 --> 00:06:06.900 that's going to be feeding your printer with paper. 177 00:06:06.900 --> 00:06:08.910 But if you're working in an office environment 178 00:06:08.910 --> 00:06:10.590 with a large multifunction device 179 00:06:10.590 --> 00:06:12.480 or large scale laser printer, 180 00:06:12.480 --> 00:06:14.550 you're going to have multiple trays. 181 00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:15.383 By doing this, 182 00:06:15.383 --> 00:06:17.760 the organization can have different sizes of paper 183 00:06:17.760 --> 00:06:21.000 or different quality of paper in those different trays. 184 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:21.840 For example, 185 00:06:21.840 --> 00:06:24.390 in my last large organization I was working with, 186 00:06:24.390 --> 00:06:26.940 we had a printer that had five different trays. 187 00:06:26.940 --> 00:06:29.190 In those five trays, we had the first tray, 188 00:06:29.190 --> 00:06:32.010 which was our main tray, as standard letter paper, 189 00:06:32.010 --> 00:06:34.050 using a low paper weight. 190 00:06:34.050 --> 00:06:36.030 The second one had a heavier paper weight, 191 00:06:36.030 --> 00:06:38.220 and was still a letter-size paper. 192 00:06:38.220 --> 00:06:41.520 The third one was legal size in a standard size paper. 193 00:06:41.520 --> 00:06:44.610 The fourth was legal size with a heavier weight paper. 194 00:06:44.610 --> 00:06:46.800 And the fifth was a card stock that we used 195 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:48.540 for printing out certificates. 196 00:06:48.540 --> 00:06:50.760 So if I was going to print a document, 197 00:06:50.760 --> 00:06:53.040 I would have to select which of those five trays 198 00:06:53.040 --> 00:06:55.650 I wanted to use for that particular document. 199 00:06:55.650 --> 00:06:57.810 Now, by default in our printer setup, 200 00:06:57.810 --> 00:07:00.000 we had it configured to use tray 1, 201 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:01.650 because that was the lowest cost paper, 202 00:07:01.650 --> 00:07:03.690 and it was the standard that most people used, 203 00:07:03.690 --> 00:07:05.850 which was a standard letter-size piece of paper 204 00:07:05.850 --> 00:07:07.170 with a low weight. 205 00:07:07.170 --> 00:07:08.550 But if you're printing something 206 00:07:08.550 --> 00:07:10.380 for one of the higher-up executives, 207 00:07:10.380 --> 00:07:12.090 they like the heavier weight paper, 208 00:07:12.090 --> 00:07:14.250 so you'd switch to document tray number two, 209 00:07:14.250 --> 00:07:16.260 and that would use a thicker paper 210 00:07:16.260 --> 00:07:17.940 that had a little bit more weight to it. 211 00:07:17.940 --> 00:07:20.310 When you're buying paper, generally, it's going to be rated 212 00:07:20.310 --> 00:07:21.930 as a pound weight. 213 00:07:21.930 --> 00:07:25.020 So you have 15 pound paper or 20 pound paper, 214 00:07:25.020 --> 00:07:27.720 and that's referring to how many pounds that paper is 215 00:07:27.720 --> 00:07:29.550 for 500 sheets. 216 00:07:29.550 --> 00:07:31.380 Now, at the Dion Training offices, 217 00:07:31.380 --> 00:07:32.550 we have a smaller printer, 218 00:07:32.550 --> 00:07:34.410 and it supports two trays. 219 00:07:34.410 --> 00:07:36.660 In the first tray, we have letter-size paper, 220 00:07:36.660 --> 00:07:39.360 and in the second tray, we have legal-size paper. 221 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:41.430 Because of that, our software is configured 222 00:07:41.430 --> 00:07:43.560 that if we're printing something that is letter size, 223 00:07:43.560 --> 00:07:46.440 it will automatically choose tray 1 instead of tray 2, 224 00:07:46.440 --> 00:07:48.300 and if we're printing something that's legal size, 225 00:07:48.300 --> 00:07:51.060 it will print out of tray 2 instead of tray 1. 226 00:07:51.060 --> 00:07:53.580 Again, though, this is something that can be configured 227 00:07:53.580 --> 00:07:55.200 either as part of your print configuration 228 00:07:55.200 --> 00:07:57.360 to make it a default for the entire printer, 229 00:07:57.360 --> 00:07:59.820 or you can do it inside your "print preferences" 230 00:07:59.820 --> 00:08:01.860 on a per job basis. 231 00:08:01.860 --> 00:08:03.210 The fourth area you're going to find 232 00:08:03.210 --> 00:08:06.750 inside your "print preferences" is known as "quality". 233 00:08:06.750 --> 00:08:07.860 Now, this "quality" tab 234 00:08:07.860 --> 00:08:09.270 can have a couple of different options 235 00:08:09.270 --> 00:08:12.270 depending on the manufacturer of the printer you're using. 236 00:08:12.270 --> 00:08:13.200 This may have options 237 00:08:13.200 --> 00:08:15.300 such as "black and white" versus "color", 238 00:08:15.300 --> 00:08:18.750 or it may have a mode called "economy mode" or "draft mode", 239 00:08:18.750 --> 00:08:22.020 which uses less ink and toner when printing out something. 240 00:08:22.020 --> 00:08:22.890 For example, 241 00:08:22.890 --> 00:08:25.290 let's say I was making an outline for this course. 242 00:08:25.290 --> 00:08:26.880 I can print that out using "economy", 243 00:08:26.880 --> 00:08:27.810 or "draft mode", 244 00:08:27.810 --> 00:08:29.640 which will use less ink and toner, 245 00:08:29.640 --> 00:08:31.650 giving me a lower quality print, 246 00:08:31.650 --> 00:08:32.483 but that's okay 247 00:08:32.483 --> 00:08:35.130 because the only person who's reading that outline is me, 248 00:08:35.130 --> 00:08:37.470 and I don't need the highest quality out there. 249 00:08:37.470 --> 00:08:38.303 Now, on the other hand, 250 00:08:38.303 --> 00:08:41.370 if I was printing up a legally-binding document or contract, 251 00:08:41.370 --> 00:08:42.690 I would want to make sure it's printed 252 00:08:42.690 --> 00:08:44.490 in higher "quality mode". 253 00:08:44.490 --> 00:08:47.190 Similarly, if you're printing out things like photographs, 254 00:08:47.190 --> 00:08:49.920 you could set this to be a "draft mode", "normal quality" 255 00:08:49.920 --> 00:08:52.980 or "high quality", depending on the level of care you want 256 00:08:52.980 --> 00:08:54.540 on that particular image. 257 00:08:54.540 --> 00:08:56.370 When you use a higher level of quality, 258 00:08:56.370 --> 00:08:58.770 generally, it's going to use more ink and more toner 259 00:08:58.770 --> 00:09:00.480 to create that image. 260 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:02.580 Similarly, creating something in color 261 00:09:02.580 --> 00:09:03.960 does use more ink and toner 262 00:09:03.960 --> 00:09:06.000 than creating something in black and white, 263 00:09:06.000 --> 00:09:07.920 and so often under this "quality" tab, 264 00:09:07.920 --> 00:09:10.200 you'll also see a "gray scale" option 265 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:11.970 even if you have a color printer. 266 00:09:11.970 --> 00:09:15.210 This way you can save your color and only use your black ink 267 00:09:15.210 --> 00:09:17.220 because that costs less to print out that way, 268 00:09:17.220 --> 00:09:19.920 and it can save you some money if you don't need color. 269 00:09:19.920 --> 00:09:21.900 Now, in addition to those four key areas, 270 00:09:21.900 --> 00:09:24.090 there's another area called "finishing". 271 00:09:24.090 --> 00:09:25.470 Depending on your printer, 272 00:09:25.470 --> 00:09:26.880 there's going to be additional options 273 00:09:26.880 --> 00:09:28.590 that you may have access to. 274 00:09:28.590 --> 00:09:30.690 For example, some of those large printers 275 00:09:30.690 --> 00:09:32.370 that weighs several hundred pounds 276 00:09:32.370 --> 00:09:35.760 have staplers and hole punchers inside of them as well, 277 00:09:35.760 --> 00:09:37.650 so when you print out your documents, 278 00:09:37.650 --> 00:09:39.990 you can say, "Every time you print out a document, 279 00:09:39.990 --> 00:09:42.570 I want you to put a staple in the top left corner.", 280 00:09:42.570 --> 00:09:44.580 or, "I want you to three-hole punch it 281 00:09:44.580 --> 00:09:46.530 so that way I could put it directly into a binder, 282 00:09:46.530 --> 00:09:48.210 and save myself some time." 283 00:09:48.210 --> 00:09:49.230 Again, this is something 284 00:09:49.230 --> 00:09:50.910 that's going to vary from model to model 285 00:09:50.910 --> 00:09:52.740 and manufacturer to manufacturer, 286 00:09:52.740 --> 00:09:54.540 but, normally, you'll find these options 287 00:09:54.540 --> 00:09:56.280 underneath your "print preferences" 288 00:09:56.280 --> 00:09:58.740 because this is going to be on a per-job basis 289 00:09:58.740 --> 00:10:00.960 instead of affecting every single job you print 290 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:01.893 to that machine.