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Printer Presets Not Saving

Love macOS Ventura but after updating all of my printer presets for the Toshiba copier at my work got scrambled. When trying to set them again the preset name would save but the settings would remain defaulted and any time you try and fix the preset settings they don't save so you can't click a preset and have the settings you want pulled up. This makes it very difficult to print and we're wasting paper. Any fix? I have a 2018 Mac mini with an intel core i7.

Posted on Nov 2, 2022 9:44 AM

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Posted on Oct 18, 2023 6:53 PM

After nearly a year old fighting this issue in Ventura (and more recently Sonoma on my M2 Mac Mini), I was about to give up and go back to High Sierra, I finally found a solution that works through a tip on a similar thread on Adobe. I open any of my Photoshop files in Mac's "Preview" application, select my printer (in my case an Epson P900), choose my settings (size, sheet feed, Epson Watercolor Paper, etc.), and then save and name them as a preset. Now, when I go to print in Photoshop, these presets automatically appear and retain all my settings! This seems like an absurd workaround for a problem that Apple should have fixed a year ago, but it's fairly simple and, for me anyway, works like a charm. I hope this helps. I also hope Apple fixes this annoying problem soon!

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60 replies

Dec 14, 2022 5:06 PM in response to Hugo Stiglitz

Hugo, I understand completely and I'm disappointed that the only responses I have seen both here and on other forums regarding this issue are "Me Too's" and or Apple experts pointing me to an article that explains how to create Printer Presets, which doesn't help. I already know how to do what I need to do. But the OS or device doesn't know how to save those settings. I don't know if it would be safe to say buy a device that doesn't allow you to downgrade the OS below 13. Kind of like what's the point. I will be sure to post back here if I ever have any luck resolving the issue.

Dec 14, 2022 5:29 PM in response to Richard Davis7

I just went into preferences on my iMac - transferred the printer settings to the Mac Book - deleted the old ones, restarted the computer and I'm still seeing the same saved preferences that were there before the restart. So something is different as to where the OS is saving that information.


I did use this to reset some of the printer defaults to coincide with the setting I use 80% of the time and it has helped a little, but has not solved the issue: https://kb.mit.edu/confluence/display/mitcontrib/Change+the+default+print+settings+on+a+Mac

Dec 29, 2022 12:33 PM in response to jupiter optimus maximus

I'll add my voice to this chorus. Upon upgrading to Ventura, macOS is no longer honoring the settings within my printer presets when I select them. I have many printers on my network, some with many paper trays (such as a Phaser 7800) loaded with various media in different sizes. I use the printer presets for just about everything I print. My primary machine is a Mac Studio, but I doubt the machine type has anything to do with it.


This is a HUGE PAIN IN THE NECK, as I now have to go through and manually specify the printer tray, paper size, double-sided or not, flip on Short edge, setting paper type to "Automatically Detect", etc. I am seriously ****** off about this, and wish I had not upgraded to Ventura. Good job, Apple, obviously this was not tested properly. I also don't like the new print dialogs, but that's another issue.

Jan 3, 2023 11:36 AM in response to Richard Davis7

Saving the settings was never a problem, and the first time or two you use them, they may seem to work, but they don't retain the settings which they are saved with - that is what we mean when we say "Printer Presets Not Saving" - perhaps a better way to phrase it would be "saved printer settings not being retained." Curious to hear what you report. I'm ready to buy a new computer and Apple is missing out because I can't risk it right now.

Jan 27, 2023 5:21 AM in response to Hugo Stiglitz

Print with PIN is just a Secure Print option that basically means the user saves a four digit Personal Identification Number, then the print job is held at the printer/copier until they are physically in front of the printer where they select the secure print option and enter their PIN to release the job(s). As far as I can tell it is the only Print Security option available in the AirPrint PPD. I just tried installing the same BizHub copiers using the LPD Protocol instead of the AirPrint protocol and while other secure print options are available through the LPD print drivers the attempt to save these option selections has the same result. Everything works on the current print job, but none of the options are enabled in the saved preset. I am reaching out to KonicaMinolta for other secure print options.

Feb 23, 2023 12:16 PM in response to AtariAge

I had to make the switch to ventura when I got my new Mac Studio a couple weeks ago, and while it hasn't been fixed, it is 'relatively' stable. I do go into the settings to make sure nothing has changed - which is still a PITA - but not as bad as having to actually set everything every time. So far I've only had about three instances where I found the settings altered, and all of those have been when printing from Illustrator. I just quit the app, restart it and it's back to normal. But it still needs major fixing.

Mar 31, 2023 9:26 AM in response to Richard Davis7

I saw the list up updates and saw no mention of it. Extremely frustrating. I've found that it's relatively stable, but I need to check the parameters every time I print as there were a couple times it changed them on me, but if I do the proper 'order of operations' so to speak it does what it's supposed to. Still spending too much time babysitting the print settings though.

Mar 31, 2023 10:55 AM in response to Hugo Stiglitz

My original complaint or issue included a problem with trying to change default settings through the CUPS interface. That ended up being a one off, one device only, unable to replicate issue.


The settings being retained in saved Preset's has been universal for me and I have 10-15 administrative secretaries that print confidential or sensitive documents to shared copiers. If they forget to check their Print Security settings with each job, panic ensues. I am hearing from others on the MacAdmin Slack printers-n-cups channel of tray selections and other settings only being retained for two or three print jobs in presets. Lot's of me too responses, but no solutions yet. I did see one suggestion for using a script to check printer settings before the job is actually sent to the printer/copier, but my Google foo is failing me now when trying to find that suggestion.

Apr 14, 2023 5:25 AM in response to Mike77077

Here in an update from me:


For my printer, it saves all the settings in presets except MPF feeder input vs. normal paper tray input. I am using a macro from the "Keyboard Maestro" tool like this: First, I select my desired preset in the print dialog. If I want to use MPF input with this preset, I just press CMD-M, which runs the macro, automating all actions to change this specific setting each time I need it.


This works flawlessly, but it's a complex macro that will need to be updated every time anything changed in the print settings dialog. Since options are printer-specific, different printers will require different macros.

Jun 1, 2023 7:08 AM in response to dowsmith

Sorry, but that won't work for you. The print dialogs are slightly different for different printers and even for different software (for example, the MS Word print dialog is different from the Apple Preview print dialog).


Also, I am using Keyboard Maestro to click on images that rely on a specific screen resolution.


Your best solution may be to create your own macros for your printer.

Printer Presets Not Saving

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