OS X El Capitan: Manage your printers

Manage your printers

The default printer is the one selected when the Print dialog opens.

If you see “No printer selected” in the Print dialog, add a new printer. The first printer you add becomes the default printer, but you can change the default printer at any time.

Change your default printer

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners.

  2. Click the “Default printer” pop-up menu, then choose an option.

    • If you want the same printer to always be the default printer, choose that printer. The default printer doesn’t change even after you print to a different printer.

    • If you want the default printer to be the one you printed to last, choose Last Printer Used. OS X remembers the printer you used last at your current network location. For example, the printer you used last might change depending on whether you’re at home or at work.

Tip:   To quickly select a default printer, Control-click a printer in the Printers list of the Printers & Scanners pane, then choose “Set default printer” from the shortcut menu.

Change a printer’s name and location

You can enter a new name and location for your printer so that other users can find it more easily. This information appears in Printers & Scanners preferences.

  1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Printers & Scanners.

  2. Select the printer in the list at the left.

  3. Click Options & Supplies, then click General.

  4. Type the new name and location in the Name and Location fields.

    • Name: Enter a descriptive name for the printer (for example, Color Laser Printer).

    • Location: Enter the printer’s location (for example, “outside my office”).

Tip:   To quickly rename a printer, Control-click a printer in the Printers list of the Printers & Scanners pane, choose “Rename printer” from the shortcut menu, enter a name and location, then click OK.
Last Modified: Apr 13, 2016
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