Windows 7 - Printer Properties

To make changes to a printer driver or its physical connection to your computer, or to define some of the default settings that will be supplied to every user, click Start, Devices and Printers. Rightclick the printer icon and select Printer Properties. (That’s Printer Properties, not just plain Properties.)

Each time you add a printer, Windows creates an icon for it in the Devices and Printers window. Although each is called a printer, it is actually just a “pointer” to the printer, much the way a shortcut represents a document or application on the Windows desktop. A given physical printer can have multiple icons, each with different default settings. For example, one could be set to print in landscape orientation on legal-size paper, whereas another printer could default to portrait orientation with letter-size paper. Of course, you can always adjust these settings when you go to print a document, but that can get tedious. If you create multiple printer icons for the same printer, with different, descriptive names, you can choose a setup just by selecting the appropriate printer icon.


Printer Properties Tabs
General
This tab lists the name, location, model number, and features of the printer. From this tab, you can print a test page. You also can click the Preferences button to change your personal printing preferences (the same settings described in the previous section) Some color printers may have settings for paper quality and color control and buttons for maintenance functions on this tab.

Sharing
On this tab, you can alter whether the printer is shared with other network users and what the share name is.

Ports On this tab, you can select the printer’s connection port, add and delete ports, and in some cases configure the physical connection itself. This tab also lets you set up additional ports for network-connected printers.

Advanced
This tab controls time availability, printer priority, driver file changes, spooling options, and advanced printing features such as booklet printing and page ordering. The first two settings are pertinent to larger networks and should be handled by a server administrator.
Booklet printing is worth looking into if you do lots of desktop publishing. Using this option, you can print pages laid out for stapling together small pamphlets. The New Driver button on the Advanced tab lets you replace the current driver with a better one, should this be necessary. The Printing Defaults button lets you set the default printing properties supplied to each user. They can then customize them as described in the previous section.

Color Management
On this tab, you can set optional color profiles on color printers, if this capability is supported.

Security
This tab let you control who has access to print, manage printers, or manage documents from this printer.

Device Settings
The settings on this tab vary greatly among printers. For example, you can set paper size in each tray, tell Windows how much RAM is installed in the printer, and substitute fonts.

About
Lists the printer’s driver components.

Utilities
This tab, if present, might contain options for inkjet nozzle cleaning, head cleaning, head alignment, and so on.

Bluetooth
This tab, if present, contains information about your Bluetooth printer and connection in case you need to troubleshoot connection problems.

Source of Information : QUE Microsoft Windows in Depth