Does anyone know how to force *all* applications and utilities to print in greyscale aka grayscale aka black

I am not sure it is possible with the Epson driver. I would suggest that you try using the Gutenprint driver which is available at http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net/MacOSX.php. You can add another prnter using that driver and set the default color space to Grayscale in the CUPS web interface. Then you can use the Print & Scan preference pane to set that printer as the Default printer. When you want to print in color, you can either switch the Gutenprint driver to Color or use the Epson supplied driver.

In testing your scenario to a Canon inkjet I found that the setting made via CUPS was honoured by Preview. With the Canon there was two Grayscale settings via CUPS, however only one is seen when using the driver GUI. Maybe there is an additional grayscale setting with the Epson when trying to default the PPD?

Also, with the setting made via CUPS, when you do print from Preview and check the driver menus, it does show the Grayscale setting as being enabled. So this is something that you can check before you print the document.

PAHU, I did try a number of things with the Epson driver. I did find two settings for my Epson Workforce 1100 that effected the color settings. One was Color: Color or Grayscale. The other setting I found was Color Model: RGB or Gray. Setting both of those to Gray did seem to work with Preview. However, I then went back and printed a CUPS test page with the Grayscale settings. It printed in color, so the PPD was not really changed. I figured that there would probably be cases then where color would be printed depending on how faithfully the application followed the PPD.

I even tried editing the PPD to make the device a Grayscale printer:

********************************

@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@

*NickName: "EPSON SO T1100 Series"

*Manufacturer: "EPSON"

*LanguageLevel: "3"

-*ColorDevice: True

-*DefaultColorSpace: RGB

+*ColorDevice: False

+*DefaultColorSpace: Grayscale

*DefaultOutputOrder: Reverse

*cupsSNMPSupplies: False

*FileSystem: True

@@ -335,7 +335,7 @@

*% Profile ===================

*cupsICCProfile ..1/Epson IJ Printer 07: "/Library/Printers/EPSON/InkjetPrinter2/ICCProfiles/Standard_07.profiles/Conten ts/Resources/Epson IJ Printer 07.icc"

-*cupsICCProfile ..0/sRGB Profile: "/System/Library/ColorSync/Profiles/sRGB Profile.icc"

+*cupsICCProfile ..0/sRGB Profile: "/System/Library/ColorSync/Profiles/Generic Gray Gamma 2.2 Profile.icc"

*cupsICCQualifier3: EPIJProfileSpec

@@ -6280,7 +6280,7 @@

*% Color Model ===================

*OpenUI *ColorModel/ColorModel: PickOne

*OrderDependency: 120 AnySetup *ColorModel

-*DefaultColorModel: RGB

+*DefaultColorModel: Mono

*ColorModel RGB/RGB: "<</cupsBitsPerColor 8/cupsColorOrder 0/cupsColorSpace 1>>setpagedevice"

*ColorModel Mono/Gray: "<</cupsBitsPerColor 8/cupsColorOrder 0/cupsColorSpace 1>>setpagedevice"

*nl.Translation ColorModel/ColorModel: ""

***************************

The CUPS test page still printed in color. I concluded that there may be something more going on with the Epson software.

When I tried the Gutenprint driver, I just changed the Color Mode: to Grayscale and even the CUPS test page printed in grayscale.

I think this is a case where "your experience may vary" is quite apropos.

TheStoat wrote:

Hello experts and enthusiasts! I have been trying to set my Mac to use greyscale for all applications including utilities like Preview. I want this to be the permanent default for all applications and utilities. I don't want to have to select a particular profile or preset group except to override the greyscale default and print in colour.

The preset system is designed to be fast and flexible. For the kind of control you are looking for, you need to think outside the preset system. Instead of building 1 printer with 2 presets, build 2 printers, each with one 1 preset. Configure the first with grayscale or draft, then make that printer the default one in your print & fax prefs.

This will override any actions in any app that might temporarily use other settings.