[Jane]

I cannot set a Word 2007 docx to print to a specific printer. Or can I? how
do I do that?

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

No, in no version of Word can you associate a document with a specific
printer (as you can in Publisher). This is a feature that has been
repeatedly requested, but the dev team have offered (more or less)
convincing arguments for why this would be impractical in Word.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

"Jane" wrote in message
...
I cannot set a Word 2007 docx to print to a specific printer. Or can I?
how
do I do that?

[Jay Freedman]

If the situation involves a specific document with a constant, known name or
if it involves all documents based on a particular template, then it becomes
possible through macro programming.

You would need two macros in the template (FilePrint and FilePrintDefault,
as described in
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Macros...tSavePrint.htm) that
automatically run when you click the print command/shortcut/button. The
macros would set the printer as shown in
http://www.word.mvps.org/FAQs/Macros...CurPrinter.htm (in the case of
the specific document, this would happen only if the current document's name
matches the known name), call the appropriate printing function, and set the
printer back to the default.

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.

Suzanne S. Barnhill wrote:
No, in no version of Word can you associate a document with a specific
printer (as you can in Publisher). This is a feature that has been
repeatedly requested, but the dev team have offered (more or less)
convincing arguments for why this would be impractical in Word.


"Jane" wrote in message
...
I cannot set a Word 2007 docx to print to a specific printer. Or
can I? how
do I do that?

[Rich F]

This is silly. If a program like Publisher can do this, there is NO REASON
why Word shouldn't offer this feature natively without having to program it
in VB. I have a document that I would prefer I print to the color printer
instead of the B&W laser. EVERY TIME I reopen the document and have to print
it, I have to remember to reset the printer selection. Sometimes I do
remember, sometimws I don't! Then I waste yet another tree, if I don't.

Attention Microsoft Programmers: THE COMPUTERS ARE HERE TO MAKE THE USER'S
LIFE EASIER, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND! (LET THE USER DECIDE THEIR OWN
PREFERENCE.)

[Graham Mayor]

It doesn't matter how loud you SHOUT, Microsoft programmers are not
watching. Word requires the printer driver and formats the document
according to its abilities. The driver is thus an essential part of the
process. Driver information is not retained with the document.

It is relatively simple to program in vba, all you have to do is copy and
paste - http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm
See also the relevant section of http://www.gmayor.com/fax_from_word.htm
and the link in the macro for more in depth information.

The code required is

Option Explicit
'Code from http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/MacrosVBA/...lePrinters.htm

Const PRINTER_ENUM_CONNECTIONS = &H4
Const PRINTER_ENUM_LOCAL = &H2

Private Declare Function EnumPrinters Lib "winspool.drv" Alias
"EnumPrintersA" _
(ByVal flags As Long, ByVal name As String, ByVal Level As Long, _
pPrinterEnum As Long, ByVal cdBuf As Long, pcbNeeded As Long, _
pcReturned As Long) As Long

Private Declare Function PtrToStr Lib "kernel32" Alias "lstrcpyA" _
(ByVal RetVal As String, ByVal Ptr As Long) As Long

Private Declare Function StrLen Lib "kernel32" Alias "lstrlenA" _
(ByVal Ptr As Long) As Long


Public Function ListPrinters() As Variant
'Code from http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/MacrosVBA/...lePrinters.htm

Dim bSuccess As Boolean
Dim iBufferRequired As Long
Dim iBufferSize As Long
Dim iBuffer() As Long
Dim iEntries As Long
Dim iIndex As Long
Dim strPrinterName As String
Dim iDummy As Long
Dim iDriverBuffer() As Long
Dim StrPrinters() As String

iBufferSize = 3072

ReDim iBuffer((iBufferSize \ 4) - 1) As Long

'EnumPrinters will return a value False if the buffer is not big enough
bSuccess = EnumPrinters(PRINTER_ENUM_CONNECTIONS Or _
PRINTER_ENUM_LOCAL, vbNullString, _
1, iBuffer(0), iBufferSize, iBufferRequired, iEntries)

If Not bSuccess Then
If iBufferRequired iBufferSize Then
iBufferSize = iBufferRequired
Debug.Print "iBuffer too small. Trying again with "; _
iBufferSize & " bytes."
ReDim iBuffer(iBufferSize \ 4) As Long
End If
'Try again with new buffer
bSuccess = EnumPrinters(PRINTER_ENUM_CONNECTIONS Or _
PRINTER_ENUM_LOCAL, vbNullString, _
1, iBuffer(0), iBufferSize, iBufferRequired, iEntries)
End If

If Not bSuccess Then
'Enumprinters returned False
MsgBox "Error enumerating printers."
Exit Function
Else
'Enumprinters returned True, use found printers to fill the array
ReDim StrPrinters(iEntries - 1)
For iIndex = 0 To iEntries - 1
'Get the printername
strPrinterName = Space$(StrLen(iBuffer(iIndex * 4 + 2)))
iDummy = PtrToStr(strPrinterName, iBuffer(iIndex * 4 + 2))
StrPrinters(iIndex) = strPrinterName
Next iIndex
End If

ListPrinters = StrPrinters

End Function

Sub PrintColor()
Dim StrPrinters As Variant, i As Long
Dim sPrinter As String

StrPrinters = ListPrinters
sPrinter = ActivePrinter
If IsBounded(StrPrinters) Then
For i = LBound(StrPrinters) To UBound(StrPrinters)
If InStr(UCase(StrPrinters(i)), "COLOR") Then
ActivePrinter = StrPrinters(i)
GoTo PrintDoc
End If
Next i
MsgBox "Required printer not available"
Else
MsgBox "No printers found"
End If
Exit Sub
PrintDoc:
'MsgBox ActivePrinter
ActiveDocument.PrintOut
ActivePrinter = sPrinter
End Sub

Public Function IsBounded(vArray As Variant) As Boolean
'Code from http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/MacrosVBA/...lePrinters.htm
On Error Resume Next
IsBounded = IsNumeric(UBound(vArray))
End Function


--

Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com
Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org




Rich F wrote:
This is silly. If a program like Publisher can do this, there is NO
REASON why Word shouldn't offer this feature natively without having
to program it in VB. I have a document that I would prefer I print
to the color printer instead of the B&W laser. EVERY TIME I reopen
the document and have to print it, I have to remember to reset the
printer selection. Sometimes I do remember, sometimws I don't! Then
I waste yet another tree, if I don't.

Attention Microsoft Programmers: THE COMPUTERS ARE HERE TO MAKE THE
USER'S LIFE EASIER, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND! (LET THE USER DECIDE
THEIR OWN PREFERENCE.)

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I'm one of those who have frequently said, "If Publisher can do it, Word
should be able to." The response I have received from the Word Product Group
is that Publisher (earlier versions, at least) was not designed to function
in a network environment. Word, because it is used so much in networked
offices (not to mention documents being moved from home to work and back),
is constantly encountering new printers. If there are several printers on a
network, it may not be known which printer a document will print to, and it
may be impossible to guarantee that the printer associated with the document
is actually available. It's confusing enough trying to assign printer trays
to specific documents when the printer in use may have different tray
designations.

I'm not sure I regard that as sufficient justification, but I do get the
impression that the PG is pretty intransigent on this issue.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Rich F" Rich wrote in message
...
This is silly. If a program like Publisher can do this, there is NO
REASON
why Word shouldn't offer this feature natively without having to program
it
in VB. I have a document that I would prefer I print to the color printer
instead of the B&W laser. EVERY TIME I reopen the document and have to
print
it, I have to remember to reset the printer selection. Sometimes I do
remember, sometimws I don't! Then I waste yet another tree, if I don't.

Attention Microsoft Programmers: THE COMPUTERS ARE HERE TO MAKE THE
USER'S
LIFE EASIER, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND! (LET THE USER DECIDE THEIR OWN
PREFERENCE.)

[Rich F[_2_]]

You're right, it's not sufficient justification.

My point to the programers is that the option should be presented to the
user in the form of an option button on the printer dialog box "Save this as
the default printer setting for this document". If the printer is not found
when the document is called upon to be printed, then the Windows default
printer is used instead. If the user doesn't check the box, no harm. If the
user checks the box and the printer is not found, no harm, the Windows
default is selected. If the user checks ths box and the printer is on the
network, no harm, in fact, life has been made easier for the user - a novel
concept!

No harm, no matter what. . .

The idea that word is confused by te a mismatched printer selection is an
indefensible position: What if the document is formatted to correlate to my
home default printer, or, for that matter, to my other home printer? I bring
the document to work, my default - or other - printer is now not present, and
the default is now a Xerox copier. Microsoft's concern still applies no
matter what printer I chose (or have) at home. Allowing the user to
determine the default printer doesn't change the concern. So why not give
the user the choice anyway? That way life CAN be made easier for the user
who doesn't have that problem - where the document is not moved around. Why
not make THEIR life easier?

And, just in case, selecting a printer becomes a problem, the user could
always be warned, and given the option to UNCHECK the option button.

MS needs to rethink its position, and think "oustide the box". But, sigh,
like all big companies, that's not likely to happen. And, that's why other
companies (like Apple or Google?) will, in the long run, win out over the
"box thinkers". . .

"Suzanne S. Barnhill" wrote:

I'm one of those who have frequently said, "If Publisher can do it, Word
should be able to." The response I have received from the Word Product Group
is that Publisher (earlier versions, at least) was not designed to function
in a network environment. Word, because it is used so much in networked
offices (not to mention documents being moved from home to work and back),
is constantly encountering new printers. If there are several printers on a
network, it may not be known which printer a document will print to, and it
may be impossible to guarantee that the printer associated with the document
is actually available. It's confusing enough trying to assign printer trays
to specific documents when the printer in use may have different tray
designations.

I'm not sure I regard that as sufficient justification, but I do get the
impression that the PG is pretty intransigent on this issue.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Rich F" Rich wrote in message
...
This is silly. If a program like Publisher can do this, there is NO
REASON
why Word shouldn't offer this feature natively without having to program
it
in VB. I have a document that I would prefer I print to the color printer
instead of the B&W laser. EVERY TIME I reopen the document and have to
print
it, I have to remember to reset the printer selection. Sometimes I do
remember, sometimws I don't! Then I waste yet another tree, if I don't.

Attention Microsoft Programmers: THE COMPUTERS ARE HERE TO MAKE THE
USER'S
LIFE EASIER, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND! (LET THE USER DECIDE THEIR OWN
PREFERENCE.)

[Rich F[_2_]]

(Please forgive my typos in my prior posting)

I had a few additional "outside the box" thoughts:

1) Group Policies can be used to manage the availability of the option
button as well as set the defaults and limit the list in the next item below.

2) If there are concerns by MS about avoiding erroneous network traffic: Add
a drop-down box adjacent to the option button to "Place limits on seeking the
selected default printer"
1 - Limit to me only
2 - Limit to my Company
3 - Limit to my Department
4 - Limit to my Domain
5 - Limit to my Workgroup
6 - Limit to my IP address range or DHCP Scope.
7 - Limit to my address/location
8 - No limits. Anyone who opens this document gets my selected printer
as the default (if avaiulable).

If the above don't match or apply, the Windows default (or most recently
used printer) is the printer to printer to.

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

I think these are all valid suggestions. I can only repeat that this issue
has been on the MVP Wish List for several versions now and has been ignored,
with the (to us insufficient) rationale I attempted to present (and perhaps
I'm missing something important).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

"Rich F" wrote in message
...
(Please forgive my typos in my prior posting)

I had a few additional "outside the box" thoughts:

1) Group Policies can be used to manage the availability of the option
button as well as set the defaults and limit the list in the next item
below.

2) If there are concerns by MS about avoiding erroneous network traffic:
Add
a drop-down box adjacent to the option button to "Place limits on seeking
the
selected default printer"
1 - Limit to me only
2 - Limit to my Company
3 - Limit to my Department
4 - Limit to my Domain
5 - Limit to my Workgroup
6 - Limit to my IP address range or DHCP Scope.
7 - Limit to my address/location
8 - No limits. Anyone who opens this document gets my selected printer
as the default (if avaiulable).

If the above don't match or apply, the Windows default (or most recently
used printer) is the printer to printer to.