Outlook Printing Preferences

Question

Hello,

I set the printing preferences on the printer on the computer according to myself, for example, paper source: drawer 2,

However, when printing in Outlook, it resets these settings and switches to the automatic option.

I can't even fix this manually. What's the problem ?

Answer 1

Hi Baran Şirin,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based on my research, the behavior you are experiencing appears to be the same issue that many other users have reported over the past several years. According to multiple community discussions, Outlook seems to use its own printing engine and print styles, which can override Windows and printer driver paper source settings. As a result, there is currently no supported configuration that can force Outlook to always honor the printer driver’s tray or paper source selection.

While looking into this issue, I found several related threads where users describe the same behavior and share possible workarounds that you may want to review and try:

• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4592370/outlook-doesnt-use-printer-shortcut-tray-or-accept
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4587120/outlook-365-not-saving-printer-preferences

I hope this information is helpful.

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Answer 2

The issue you're experiencing with Outlook resetting the printing preferences to automatic may be related to the way Outlook handles print settings. Specifically, the splwow64.exe process can prevent the print driver from properly applying the settings. Here are a few suggestions to address the problem:

1. Use a 64-bit version of Outlook: If you are using a 32-bit version, switching to a 64-bit version may help.
2. Change the printer driver: Ensure that you are using a printer driver that supports Alpha Blend, which may resolve the issue.
3. Enable EMF spooling: This can be done by going to the printer properties in Control Panel, selecting the Advanced tab, and checking the box for "Enable advanced printing features".

These steps may help retain your printing preferences when printing from Outlook.

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References:

• The background of a recurring icon is black when printing an Outlook calendar