Word 2013 forgets printer settings

That works. Thank you.

The downside is that duplex is selected when printing from other programs.

You can create a second instance of the Printer, with the Printer Properties of one of them set to Duplex and set that as the printer in Word and set the other one as the default printer in the Control Panel.

Yes, but it would be far better for Microsoft to reintroduce this functionality into Word.

Are you referring to manual or automatic duplex? Word itself only supports manual, as far as I know. The ability to print duplex automatically is up to the printer.

It seems I am saddled with the same printer issue but I thought I’d give it a go anyway. Frist I’ll describe what I used to do under Office 2010 and how it worked and then tell you what 2013 is doing.

I have windows 7 and 4 printers, 3 of which I use daily. An HP LaserJet Pro 451 Color, a B&W HP LaserJet1536 MFP and a Zebra LP2844 label printer. The HP 8600 inkjet is rarely used. I use them for eBay and Amazon. I print color invoices with directions for the customer first that prints on both sides. The printer sees the document and prints it correctly for the last year and a half. Next comes the shipping label that is printed within eBay and Amazon using a 4x6 thermal label. This also prints flawlessly when using java (which I hate) and Chrome as my browser.  Finally, I print the ebay screen to get the customer info to keep a hard copy of the sale and shipment info. That prints auto two sided too – perfectly on the B&W printer. I never have to change printer settings for any of these documents to print correctly. It remembers them all.

Now comes last week and my idiotic idea to upgrade to MS Office 2013 and my efficient work environment comes crashing down immediately around my head. Nothing prints as it should without click after click that I never had to do before last week. I have to tell it every detail of the document each and every time I want to print it. It retains nothing correctly except duplexing. I have tried every procedure I can think of and nothing works as it should. My color laser which prints a color document for my customers is the only item that prints correctly. Next comes the label. Using Java and eBay’s website to print, the print window that used to show the label in its correct form and format (4x6) now shows my default printer which is my color laser (All my eBay and PayPal settings are correct and verified btw).  Never did that before. I change to the Zebra printer and hit print and out pops either a midget label that won’t work or sometimes I get half a label on two labels and have to reprint it. I have also gotten a correct label followed by a blank label. I have wasted so many labels my shredder is now full. Once I finally get that one going correctly and reload the blank label back into the printer I go to print the details of the transactions from the website. I click on ctrl-P and the zebra printer shows in the box now and the printout is formatted as a 4x6 label instead of a letter size paper. I change to the B/W laser and hit enter to print. Sometimes I get it correct and half the time it prints duplex as it should but the text is still in a 4x6 format on a letter size piece of paper. I’ve had other variations too, only the left half in huge letters or tiny letters on front and back.

What used to take a few clicks for each print now takes up to 6-8 clicks and even then it’s right only half the time. I’m wasting time, paper, labels and I’m at my wits end here. If I could roll it back to 2010 and toss out 2013 I’d do it in a NY minute. Trouble is I didn’t create a restore point (stupid me) and I don’t know what I have changed in my database and if it will stay put or not.

To those of you who say that documents don’t keep printer settings, you are wrong, at least in my case and too many others have voiced the same opinion here as well. Someone out there has solved this issue – please tell us how!!!  I’m not a techy wizard, I don’t have time to fool around with this stuff, its stupid and a waste of my time and resources.