Need Automator action to set print settings urgently

This [Applescript Resources page|http://www.macosxautomation.com/applescript/resources.html] has some droplet examples to use. Also, that section has lots of info on learning applescript.

On the right side of the page there are example code links. One of them is for Droplets. That will download a folder of droplet examples named for what they process.

A droplet is what you want to build. A droplet is an applescript application that will process files dropped onto them.

on open these_items
 repeat with i from 1 to the count of these_items
 set this_item to item i of these_items
 --enter code that prints this_item
 end repeat
end open

You run an on open handler that takes what is dropped on it (ie these_items). You then iterate through each item (ie this_item) and process it as you wish.

In the case of the droplet examples, it iterates through each item, and then passes an alias reference to the process_item handler. That handler is where you would write the code to do the printing.

That example also filters out what file types it can handle. If you don't care what you drop on it, you just want it printed, just get rid of the

and ((this_filetype is in the type_list) or (this_extension is in the extension_list) or (this_typeID is in typeIDs_list))

from

if (folder of the item_info is false) and (alias of the item_info is false) and ((this_filetype is in the type_list) or (this_extension is in the extension_list) or (this_typeID is in typeIDs_list)) then

You would process them the same way as the droplet examples. The Run Applescript action accepts whatever was passed to it in the variable 'input' which is an applescript list. Change the handler to:

repeat with i from 1 to the count of input
 set this_item to item i of input
 set the item_info to info for this_item
 if (folder of the item_info is false) and (alias of the item_info is false) then
 --do your print script on this_item
 end if
end repeat

In AppleScript the printing commands are handled by the individual application rather than globally, and are listed in its Applescript Dictionary (in Script Editor use File>Open Dictionary) under 'Type Definitions>Print'.

Neither Pages nor TextEdit's Dictionaries contain commands for choosing a print preset. Whether other applications do so would be up to the maker of that application. You would only be able to create a droplet for files from one application at a time, even if the one(s) you use do contain these commands.

QuicKeys would certainly enable you to construct what you want - it will automate pretty well anything - but it's not all that cheap ($59.95). I find it invaluable - it's possible to construct very complex automation - but whether it's worth it for just the job you have in mind would be up to you.