Changing the Default Settings for a Printer

I followed ALL the suggested steps to access cassette 2 on my Epson Workforce 845 from my Mac - but none helped. I was NEVER given an option to select paper source. I am able to use both trays on my MacBook Pro (both computers using OS X Yosemite 10.10.5) so something must have changed with a recent update on the Mac. VERY FRUSTRATING!!

The success of setting the correct cassette will depend on the applications you use. If the apps are set to use any cassette, rather than call a particular cassette, then making cassette 2 the default will succeed. But if the app calls cassette 1, then no amount of driver default settings will help. So in this case, you will have more success if you create another preset for printing to cassette 2, then you can ensure you select this preset when you want to print on plain paper. And of course you can select the envelope preset when you want to do this.

If you do want to look at modifying the printer defaults, this can be done via the CUPS web page.

To access CUPS, open Safari and type

http://127.0.0.1:631/printers

This will open the CUPS Printer administration page and will show all the printers currently configured on the Mac. For the printer that you wish to change the defaults for, click its name in the Queue Name column.

Clicking the printer name will open the printer administration page for that printer. Here you need to click on the Administration drop menu and then select Set Default Options.

This will show a new page with four menu headings (links); Options Installed, General, Banners and Policies. Select General. Scroll down the list until you find an entry like "Paper Source" or something similar that shows the cassettes and select Cassette 2.

With the option selected you then need to scroll down the list to the bottom of the page where you will see the ‘Set Default Options’ button. Click this button and you will then be presented with an authentication window. Enter the account name and password that has been set as the admin for this Mac. And then press the Log In button. You will then see another page stating that the information change is completed.

Now you can open an application and select to print and then check the appropriate paper source menu to see if cassette 2 is the default.

I have exactly the same problem. I have envelopes loaded in cassette #1 and plain paper loaded in cassette #2. I did what you said in CUPS and it seems to be working when I print from my computer. Cassette #2 is chosen as the default from all applications on my computer. The problem is when I try to print from my iPad or iPhone using Airprint. For some reason it is still defaulting to cassette #1 in that case. Any suggestions?

The iPad and iPhone will not make reference to the settings made in CUPS on the Mac. The CUPS settings are purely for printing from the Mac. To print from cassette 2 from the iOS device, you would need to be able to select it from the print dialog on the iPad or iPhone. But from what I can see you don't get that as an option from most apps you can print from in the iOS device.

No, it isn't an option for iOS devices. So if there is no work-around I guess I'm taking the printer back and starting over looking for a new one. It's so dumb to me that the "specialty" cassette is the default. Am I crazy?

It does seem odd that the special cassette is the default and that you have no means on the printer to change which cassette is the default. At least this is something you can test in the store before buying your replacement printer.

For anyone having the same problem that I was having ie not being able to print to cassette #2 from Airprint I have found a work-around.

I assigned the default cassette to #2 in CUPS on my Mac. I then installed an app called AirPrint Activator. (It is free-google.) When I want to print from my iPad or iPhone I choose the printer that has the prefix APA and it works like a charm! I can also print to a very old Epson CX8400 and any other printer that is visible on the network.

using this link

http://127.0.0.1:631/printers

gives me a screen with "Internal Server Error"

Suggestions?

I'm kind of late to this discussion, but I would also like to change my default tray to the lower tray.

I followed the directions using the CUPS admin utility, but when I select the "Select Default Options" from the Administration drop down, I don't see "Options Installed" as a header and when I select "General" I only have 5 options that I can change... they are COLOR MODE, QUALITY, 2-SIDED PRINTING, MEDIA SIZE, and MEDIA TYPE.

Nothing that relates to tray selection.

Any clues to what I'm doing wrong?

Thanks!

The ability to select the paper source will depend on the driver provided by the vendor. If they are using the Apple menu for Paper Feed, then the PPD provided by the vendor will not need to support the tray selection and thus it will not appear in the menus seen via CUPS.

If you open the print dialog and then open the drop menu that shows your printer options, what menu would you use to select the paper source? For example, my Canon office printer has the following menus and I would select Paper Source to select a specific tray.

Thank you this was helpful information.

Hello - Thank you PAHU for your responses as are very helpful. Unfortunately, I've done everything you have suggested above, but still don't have an option to use Cassette 2 when printing from Excel or VectorWorks. yet Word is no problem. I've even created a Preset and it still doesn't work. Any thoughts/ideas? Otherwise I'm stuck saving the files as a PDF and then printing that! waste of time! Thanks in advance for the response.

If Excel and VectorWorks are still printing to cassette 1, even though you have set cassette 2 as the default, then it would indicate that the driver settings are not be used by the application. I've seen Excel do this when the Print icon on the toolbar is used. If you select File > Print and then select to print to cassette 2, does this work?

As for VectorWorks, I know it has its own print dialog and does use settings you have saved. But from the VectorWorks print dialog, I thought there was a way to select which cassette you want to print from.

PAHU thank you for taking the time to respond. Your suggestion worked like a charm for Vectorworks! As soon as I read your response, I realized that I should have remembered this! Sadly however with Microsoft's Excel, Cassette 2 remains inaccessible! I'm at a loss because as I've mentioned this doesn't happen with Microsoft's WORD. (btw: my Microsoft Office is a genuine product.) CRAZY frustrating!

In your screen grab, I can see that you have a preset selected called Preset Cassette 2. This could be the issue. Change the Presets menu back to Default Settings and then check if you can select Cassette 2.