Windows Explorer only shows one printer 1

[melburstein]

When I click the Printer icon from an application such as Microsoft Word, all available printers are displayed in a drop down list. Maybe I never noticed before, but then I click the Printer icon from within Windows Explorer, only my default printer is listed. It was not important to me when I only used my laser printer, but now that I have added an inkjet printer, I would like to be able to choose between the two without having to change the default printer. Should Windows Explorer be showing more than one printer? Is there something I need to setup differently?

 

[MMSMSD]

I'm not sure if this will help you but here goes...

It sounds like you want to print to a printer that is not your default printer within Windows Explorer. The print button on Windows Explorer seems to work like the "Quick Print" button in Word 2007, which means there is no dialog box and it just sends it to the default printer (at least, that's how it works on my machine).

I looked around and could not find a way to change the function of PRINT in Windows Explorer to one that will show a dialog box and allow you to choose a printer. What I DID find was a way to add a specific printer to the SEND TO option when you right-click on a file in Windows Explorer. This would allow you to print to your inkjet. Here's the procedure:

1. Open your SENDTO folder by typing the following in RUN:

%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

2. Open your printers window
3. Right-click on your printer, drag it to the SENDTO folder and select CREATE SHORTCUT
4. Rename it to what you want

Now, when you right-click on a file in Windows Explorer, you can choose SEND TO and see your no-defaulted printer. Hope this helps.

 

[Turkbear]

Hi,
Just a note of interest:
If using Windows XP instead of Vista, trying to use SendTo for a printer in this way in Windows Explorer causes a pop-up the says 'this program requires printing to your default printer..do you want to make this printer the default'...


Does this also happen in Vista?






To Paraphrase:"The Help you get is proportional to the Help you give.."

 

[MMSMSD]

Not for me. I ran through the procedure on my Vista system and it just worked. No pop-ups or messages about making it the default. According to Microsoft, the process is supposed to be the same:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310270

Not sure why it's asking about default for you. Perhaps you have a copy of the printer instead of a shortcut?

 

[melburstein]

Well, I kept playing around with it. I changed to a different printer as my default printer. After doing that, whenever I click on Printer I get the window that lets me select any of my printers. Now Internet Explorer is working just like it does in Microsoft Word and other applications. Maybe there was something wrong with the pinter definition that I had as the original default. But since it is not the one that I really want to use as my default printer, it really doesn't matter anymore. Thank you everyone for the helpful posts.

 

[MMSMSD]

You're trying to print in INTERNET Explorer? That makes a difference. WINDOWS Explorer and INTERNET Explorer are two different things. Glad you found a solution. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused in my reply.

 

[melburstein]

I guess the original mistake was mine. I was really talking about Internet Explorer all along, but I made a mistake and typed Windows Explorer when I made the original post.