2 questions: printer settings and internet connection.

I have a two part question.

1) I have an older PowerBook G4 running OS X 10.4.11. How do I change the default printer settings to only print in black ink every time? I found a setting where I can change it to gray tone and save it as a favorite but I have to change that setting every time I want to print something. How do I set it so that it will automatically print in black without me changing any settings?

2) Every once in a while my computer will stop connecting to the internet. It shows in AirPort that I am connected to my linksys and have a full connection but the pages will not load. I have tried several different browsers when this happens and nothing works. Then one day it will just randomly start working again. Has anybody else ever had this problem and how did you fix it? I've tried updating my software and it says everything is up to date. It drives me crazy and I can't figure out how to fix it!