Printer returns to default printer after each print

[Adam Gorman]

1. Are you using the latest release version?
   Yes
2. Can you reproduce it?
   Yes
3. Does it happen for a new document? If not can you upload a document that shows the problem?
   Yes
4. If you cannot provide a sample document then please give an accurate description of the problem for example it should include most of the following:

•    What is your operating system and version (Windows 11, OSX Ventura, iOS 16 etc)?
  macOS Big Sur 11.7.1
•    Is hardware acceleration (in Preferences > Performance) ON or OFF ? (and have you tried the other setting?)
  On (no)
•    What happened for you (and what you expected to happen)
  Choose non default printer - eg A2 Photo Printer
  eg Print Odd Pages
  Open Print... again = default printer selected again
  Choose non default printer again
  All settings remembered apart from Print Settings
•    Provide a recipe for creating the problem (step-by-step what you did).
  see above
•    Screenshots (very handy) or a screen capture/video.
  can do if required
•    Any unusual hardware (like tablets or external monitors or drives that may affect things) or relevant other applications like font managers or display managers.
  use Wacom tablet
•    Did this same thing used to work and if so have you changed anything recently? (software or hardware)
  Had same problem with Photo v1, Designer v1 & Publisher v1

[MikeTO]

Hi Adam, I have only one printer so I can't test your problem report, but what do you have set in macOS Preferences > Printers & Scanners for Default Printer? Is it set to "Last Printer Used" or to a specific printer? Here's a screenshot from Apple of the Big Sur printer prefs.

Cheers

[Adam Gorman]

Hi Mike

It's set to a specific printer

[MikeTO]

Hi Adam, then I think this is working as designed. If you don't want it to return to that printer after each print job then change the default to Last Printer Used.

Affinity doesn't have much control over this part of the Print window - it's part of macOS.

Cheers

[Adam Gorman]

Hi Mike

Agreed, just tried same with Safari and have same issue.

However I see Apple seem to work around their own issue in, for example, Numbers by having a Numbers Print Setup dialogue, which includes selecting printer, before the macOS Print window appears on pressing the Print button. I guess this also has had an influence on printing in Adobe Lightroom.

Would be a useful addition to Affinity products, I would suggest, as the nature of the products means you're often repeatedly selecting 'good' printers, say for photos, or odd/even selections in Publisher.

Thanks

 

Adam

[MikeTO]

Spreadsheets like Excel and Numbers have long shown a print setup window first because the standard print dialogs wouldn't provide the space to determine the split of sheets across pages. Lightroom has a similar printing challenge.

Apps like Affinity and Photoshop can and do use the standard Print dialog. Most users have just a single printer connected at once so forcing everybody to go through Print Setup before printing would be a drag.

I think you should just use "Last Printer Used" as it would be more convenient for you, and you could override that by changing the printer whenever you didn't want Print to use that printer.