link word document to a specific printer

Question

I have two printers and two types of word documents.  I want to link one document type to printer A and the other document type to printer B so I don't have to go through the step of switching printers.  I have noticed that my adobe software always uses printer A so there must be a way to do it.

Answer 1

You can download an add-in to do this from  http://www.gmayor.com/Associate_Printer.htm

Answer 2

That is because the programmers at Adbobe are smarter than the ones at MS. Heck, my 1985 copy of WordPerfect for DOS could do it too.

MS Windows is in control of printers as far as MS is concerned. MS Apps don't keep that sort of information.

The only way I know of is via macros. Make it a macro enabled file, assign a shortcut key to the macro, say <CTL><P>.

Here are a couple of printer related macros that you can tweak:

1.1  Temporarily Changing the Printer in a Macro

**http://word.tips.net/Pages/T000318\_Temporarily\_Changing\_the\_Printer\_in\_a\_Macro.html******

**Summary:**If you use a macro to print to a specific printer, that printer becomes the default printer for Word from then on. (Well, at least until you explicitly change the printer.) With the quick technique described in this tip, you can print to any printer you want without the user ever being aware that you had changed from the printer he or she had previously selected. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, Word 2003, and Word 2007.)

Shaune has written a macro that prints, to a PDF writer, product information sheets. When he prints to the PDF writer, the macro resets the default printer for the system on which it is running, so that when someone then tries to print regularly (after the macro is finished), Word still assumes the user wants to print to the PDF writer. Shaune is looking for a way for his macro to use the PDF writer temporarily, without resetting the default printer.

The bad news, Shaune, is that you cannot get around resetting the printer. When you reset the ActivePrinter property, then Word assumes that the printer you specify remains the active (default) printer until you specifically reset it.

The good news is that you can also read the ActivePrinter property, which means your macro can save whatever printer the person had selected before the macro was run, and then reset the ActivePrinter property prior to exiting. The result is that the user never notices that the default printer was changed, because your macro sensed the settings and then changed it back. This technique is used in this manner:

Sub PrinterTechnique()

Dim sCurrentPrinter as String

Dim sPDFwriter as String

'

' perform whatever tasks need to be done prior to printing

' make sure you also initialize the sPDFwriter string with

'   the name of your PDF writer

'

' save current printer name

sCurrentPrinter = Application.ActivePrinter

' set to name of PDF writer

Application.ActivePrinter = sPDFwriter

' print the document any way desired

ActiveDocument.PrintOut

' change back to the original printer

Application.ActivePrinter = sCurrentPrinter

'

' continue with the rest of your macro

'

End Sub

(Thanks to Suzanne S. Barnhill, Yehezkel Missel, Ulf Nilsson, William Wolfe, and Stephen McKendry-Smith for contributing to this tip.)

1.1.1  Working with Multiple Printers

**http://word.tips.net/T001155\_Working\_with\_Multiple\_Printers.html**

**Summary:**Word does not keep printer information associated with documents. You can define a macro for each printer you use and put buttons for the macros on a toolbar for easy access to all of the printers. (This tip works with Microsoft Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, and Word 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Working with Multiple Printers.)

You already know that Windows supports multiple printers. Using Word with multiple printers can be a bother, however, since you must choose Print from the File menu, change the printer, and then print the document. There is a way that you can have one-click printing of your documents on a designated printer. To do this, simply create a macro that changes the printer and then prints the document. The following is a macro that will accomplish the task:

Sub GoodPrinter()

ActivePrinter = "HP LaserJet"

Application.PrintOut Range:=wdPrintAllDocument, _

Item:=wdPrintDocumentContent, Copies:=1

End Sub

The one thing to note with this macro is the ActivePrinter line. Change the line so it reflects, exactly, the name of the printer you want to use for your output.

The trick is to create a macro for each of the printers you use. You can then modify your toolbar so that each printer has its own print button. When you then click on the button, the appropriate macro is run and you get output on the desired printer.

Answer 3

Thanks.  I will look into the macro approach.  I recall ads for windows 7 (which I really like) where they say this is my windows.  Do you think microsoft is still listening?!  The ability to link a document to a printer seems like a no brainer and should be an option.