Number 254 - July 2004

Getting To Know Your Printer
by Ron Hirsch, Boca Bits, December 2003
I think it's fair to say that virtually everyone who has a computer also has a printer. The printer may have been part of the original computer package, or it may have been purchased separately. But without a printer, the utility value of a computer would be seriously reduced.    It's also been my observation that after the initial installation of a printer, most people rarely, if ever, bother to think about the printer and its settings again. Whatever the default settings were, that's where things stay. When some hard copy output ofa document or photograph is wanted, they just click on "print," and accept what the printer produces. The only time they interact with the printer is when it runs out of paper, and they add paper into the paper tray, or an ink cartridge runs dry, and has to be replaced.    If you are one of these people, you may be missing a lot of added capability and performance. The purpose of this article is to introduce to you some of the areas you might want to explore, to learn more about what your printer might offer. This can result in tailoring the printer setup to the printing job at hand.    There are a tremendous number of printer models available today. The two most widely used types are inkjet and laser models. It's probable that most users are using an inkjet printer. Inkjet printers are available starting at prices well below $100. While there are also inexpensive monochro~e laser printers, color lasers start at much higher prices. The discussion below is applicable to virtually any printer that you might have. So - What Am I Missing?    With the wide range of printers in use, it's not possible to present very specific details on every printer. But, the general protocol of using printers, and changing the settings to do the job at hand, is very similar, and easy to access. So, the information offered will have to be of a "generic" nature. But it should be good enough to get you started, and become more in touch with your printer.    To access the window associated with your printer, the easiest way is to start in a program from which printing is available, such as a word processor, a photo editing program, an e-mail program, the Internet, etc.. In the menu at the top of your main window, the first menu item is generally "FILE", and clicking on that will generally bring up a list of choices. These choices should include "PRINT" as one of the settings. This is your gateway into the various other windows that apply to your printer.    The first window that comes up will probably have a dropdown listing field, where your printer will be shown. If you have more than one printer, you can click on the dropdown arrow, and choose the printer that you want. In some programs, you may have to click on another button named "SETUP" to get to the final window where you adjust your printer's settings. Remember, even if you have only one printer, there will usually be other choices in the list. The FAX capability in Windows is classified as a "virtual" printer, and that will probably show there also.	Once you confirm that the printer shown is the printer you want to use, check the top of this window, where there will probably be a number of tabs. If there is a button in the window that is marked "PROPERTIES", you may have to click on this to access the printer's properties. This is an area where every program will have a different looking window, so there are indeed a very large number of combinations, and you will have to explore and use your curiosity to ascertain the path to where you want to go. The exploring is really quite simple. If you end up in the wrong place, just backtrack and take another path. You can1t really get into "trouble" with this exploring. What You'll Find When You Get There    When you finally get to the area that you are seeking, there will be a fair number of items that you can select from. These may include the specifying the paper type, the printing resolution in dpi, a choice of color or BW, and choices of print quality such as draft, photos, etc.. To print photos on inkjet photo paper, the proper settings are very important to insuring that you get "photo quality." The variety of choices is very large, depending upon the printer involved, and the program from which you are calling for the printer.    And, for color printers, there will usually be a window where you can make changes in the color output. If your color photos are printing with a magenta or other color cast, this is a place to correct that. Again, experimentation is the name of the game. You may feel that my commentaries here are just too general for you to follow. But, if you do some exploring/browsing, you will probably discover areas where you've never been before.    I'm sure that most of you "browse" the Internet. Browsing around in your own computer can produce some satisfying rewards. These days, getting answers to questions is much easier than ever before, mainly because of the Internet. But, learning what questions to ask still requires that you do your part.    Many of the user choices will have obvious meanings. But, there will be some which are not obvious. Often, the windows involved will have a question mark icon (?) in the upper right corner. If so, click on that icon, then move the cursor to an item you'd like info for, and click again. Generally a small window will come up with info on that item. And, there is usually a HELP button which can bring up a window where you find the topics you want to learn more about.    Most inkjet printers have several "modes" or "quality levels for color printing. If you1re printing something off the Internet, or a document with some color it, selecting the best photo quality could result in printing times of over 5 minutes per page. Selecting draft mode could cut that time to 10 seconds or so.    I can't emphasize too much --BROWSE AROUND, YOU'LL FIND SOME VERY INTERESTING AREAS. And, by becoming more familiar with your printer, you'll be more in control of things. And instead of feeling dominated by your printer, you'll now be dominating it.
Number 254 - July 2004