Can't set DEFAULT Printer - Has anyone fixed this?

Move the com.apple.print.PrintingPrefs.plist file out of /username/Library/Preferences/ to the Desktop, log out and back in, open System Preferences->Print & Fax->delete and readd the printer, and select the one you want as the default printer. If that works, delete the moved plist file.

Not sure why you are having this much trouble. I would have thought that baltwo's instruction would have resolved the issue. I certainly find that my 10.6 Mac's are all selecting the Default printer set in Print & Fax so there must be something about the setup with this Mac.

You could try resetting the printing system. This will delete you current print queues so you will have to add them again. To reset the printing system;

1. Open System Preferences > Print & Fax
2. Move your mouse over the Printers list
3. Hold down the Control button and click the mouse (or right click if supported).
4. Click "Reset printing system ..."
5. Restart your Mac

If this doesn't help then a workaround rather than a solution would be to change the Print button used by Word. By default, the Print button is set to Print One Copy to the default printer. Using this icon never makes the Print Dialog appear, where you can change settings and check what printer is set. So if you change the toolbar icon to 'Print...', then the print dialog will appear.

With Word open, move the mouse to the toolbar and control-click. Then select 'Customize Toolbars and Menus'. Under the Categories heading, select File and then in the Commands section, scroll down until you see 'Print...'. Drag this icon to the toolbar, maybe next to the other print icon, and release. If you want to remove the existing Print icon you could drag it down to the Commands list at this stage. OK the change and now try it. When you press the icon the Print dialog should appear.

HTH

Pahu

Create a new admin user account, log into it, reset the printer stuff, and try again. Report back.

What site are you printing coupons from?

Is there a coupon printer installed that can be designated as the default printer?

Is there anything in this thread that might help:

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2232748&tstart=0

I have 2 accounts on my iMac and for some reason (Migration Assistant, I think) for one of them, the default printer does not stick.

A possible fix.... at least it worked for me.

_*Note :*_
your macname is your Macintosh's name
username is your userID.
[space] is the spacebar

Log in your mac with the userID that has the "problem" and open TERMINAL (Applications/Utilities)
You should see " yourmacname:~ username$" as prompt

At the prompt type: ls [space] -ale and press return.

You should see a list of files/directories. See if you have an item like this:

drwxr-xr-x 3 username username 102 Jan 2 21:46 .cups

Where the first username is the owner and the second one is the group. Both of them should be the same and should be the logged user.

Three are the possibility:

1) The directory .cups owner is wrong. It should be the user's username
Fix - At the prompt type : sudo [space] chown [space] -R [space] username [space] /Users/username/.cups
replacing username with the userID

When you invoke the "SUDO" command, it will prompt to enter the password for the Administrator.

At the prompt type : ls [space] -ale and press return, to see the changes.

2) The directory .cups group is wrong. It should be the user's username
Fix - At the prompt type : sudo [space] chgrp [space] -R [space] username [space] /Users/username/.cups
replacing username with the userID

At the prompt type : ls [space] -ale and press return, to see the changes.

3) The directory does not exist.
Fix - At the prompt type : sudo mkdir Users/username/.cups

At the prompt type : ls [space] -ale and press return, to see the changes and verify the owner and group. If the owner and/or the group of .cups are different from the username, follow #1 and/or #2

Hope this help, let me know

MS

Message was edited by: Mauro Straulino

Mauro: I had this exact problem and your first solution fixed it for me.

thanks!

Just for my curiosity.

The account with the problem was 1) a migrated account from a different Mac? Or 2) it was a new account?

MS

Help!
I'm having the same problem and am using an account set up with migration assistant.
MS, I have tried your instructions and don't have any mention of .cups. When I type sudo mkdir Users/username/.cups, and then ls SPACE -ale, as directed in option 3, there is still no .cups in the list.
Any ideas?

jumping on a solved thread won't garner much attention. Start your own, referencing this one and what you've tried.

here is what i did based on the above post:


delete the .cups directory:

rm -R .cups/

remake the directory

mkdir .cups/

change the permissions on the directory

chmod -R 775 .cups/

i am testing it now but that looks like it solved it.