How can I stop a printer from printing colour unless I want it to?

[steve]

We have a couple of Canon Color Imagerunner c3380/C2880 printers.

When we print black and white it costs us about a cent. When we print
colour its about 10 cents. To reduce costs we want to slow people down
from printing color.

We use active directories, and often several people log onto one
computer. If a person is logged in I can go to preferences in the
printer window and choose black and white as the default for their
setting rather than auto, which would make all their copies print b/w
unless they specifically choose colour. But this means I have to do
this on 100 computers. Seems a bit much. Is there a Global way to
change peoples computers so that they can be set automatically to
print black and white, unless they specifically choose Colour. Does
any one know this printer I have listed above, and know how to do
this. Or is there a script that can be written to automatically do
this on everyones comptuer say when they log in. I DONT want to stop
people I just want to globally change things to b/w unless they
specifically choose colour.

Regards

 

[Woody]

You can't. Put in a Laser black only for them to use and restrict who uses
the color printer.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Considering how cheap even fairly good networking business black and
white laser printers are these days, I would agree with Woody, and offer
two printer, one for Black and white prints, one for color.
However, make sure the cost of consumables on the black and white
printer aren't ridiculous. Some less costly B&W laser printers may make
up for the cost by charging you so much for the refill toner that it
will end up close to ten cents a copy anyway.

On the server, you may be able to place a warning when the color printer
is selected as part of the printer "name" or some type of pop up window
that says something like: This printer is only to be used for intended
color printing, otherwise please select printer X for black and white
output.

Then send out an email notice to all employees telling them they will be
docked bonus pay if they print unnecessary color output ;-)

Art


If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

 

[IntergalacticExpandingPanda]

Considering how cheap even fairly good networking business black and
white laser printers are these days, I would agree with Woody, and offer
two printer, one for Black and white prints, one for color.
However, make sure the cost of consumables on the black and white
printer aren't ridiculous. Some less costly B&W laser printers may make
up for the cost by charging you so much for the refill toner that it
will end up close to ten cents a copy anyway.

On the server, you may be able to place a warning when the color printer
is selected as part of the printer "name" or some type of pop up window
that says something like: This printer is only to be used for intended
color printing, otherwise please select printer X for black and white
output.

I think Arthur is on to something, though I think there is a better
way to implement it. You don't install a $8000 unit just to be told
to install ANOTHER laser. Even so, the cost per page is going to be
at least double on your average sub $2000 laser printer. Hell, the
black toner cartridge is like $65 for 26,000 pages. Taking fuser and
developers into account it's in the penny range.

IIRC the imagerunner series supports postscript, so in theory one
could use a driver for another printer, say one that didn't support
color, and just direct it to the imageRunner. I've never done this my
self, so I have NO clue if it would work. Alternatively one could use
the driver from a lesser non-color model.

This is presuming that one can't define access to specific functions
like color printing.

Though this is the sort of thing that one should be talking to Canon
about. This is something that SHOULD be included in the admin faq.
"How do I restrict color use" or "how do I default to B&W"

 

[steve]

Thanks for some of your suggestions.

It seems a little frustrating. We have a plan so all supplies and
repairs are paid for. However we pay some fraction of a cent for b/w
and 10 cents for color. In a month b/w is 166 dollars and color is
1900. People print color because they can or are too ignorant to not
do it. I Have read much of the canon manual. And they purposly make it
hard to limit color. Anyway I will persever.

thank.s

 

[steve]

Follow up question:

Where are the settings saved? They must be saved on the local
computer. Could I not get these settings eg if in registisry or
elseware and then copy them into the various computers using a batch
file when they log in via active directories.

Regards

 

[measekite]

On Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:12:29 -0800, Arthur Entlich wrote:


He TOP POSTED Again

 

[Arthur Entlich]

If I understand correctly, this printer is on contract and so you pay
"per push" as it is referred to, with a set price for each page that
goes through, regardless of the actual cost of consumables.

You may need to "human engineer" a solution, by appealing to people to
change their behaviour.

How about the company offering to donate half of the color savings to
rotating charities each month, or a gift to the employee group that
lowers their color use the most each month, if you can monitor that.

As I stated yesterday, it seems to me some type of pop up message
suggesting switching to black and white per print job may work.

You probably need to explain to the personnel at your offices that even
if the print has no color on it, if it is designated as a color print by
the printer, the cost per page is ten times higher.

Art




If you are interested in issues surrounding e-waste,
I invite you to enter the discussion at my blog:

http://e-trashtalk.spaces.live.com/

 

[Frank Arthur]

Oh my God- He TOP POSTED Again!

On Mon, 08 Dec 2008 20:12:29 -0800, Arthur Entlich wrote:


He TOP POSTED Again

 

[measekite]

If I understand correctly, this printer is on contract and so you pay

What you need to understand is that you need to get your nose from up in
the air and not top post.

 

[measekite]

Oh my God- He TOP POSTED Again!

The holee one always does.

 

[TJ]

What you need to understand is that you need to get your nose from up in
the air and not top post.

Being a trifle inconsistent here, aren't you? You were in favor of
top-posting a while back, even defended the practice vigorously. You
certainly used to do it yourself whenever you felt like it.

Must be that was just to annoy people. That seems to be your life's work.

TJ

 

[measekite]

Being a trifle inconsistent here, aren't you? You were in favor of
top-posting a while back, even defended the practice vigorously. You
certainly used to do it yourself whenever you felt like it.

Must be that was just to annoy people. That seems to be your life's work.

TJ

I do like top posting in general but not when responding to specific areas
of another's post. In-line posting is best for that. But the holy one
thinks he is so wonderful that he can do what ever he wants and others
will kiss his ass. He was asked by many others not to top post.

That may have been somewhat unreasonable at times but for the most part
was ok.

I have seen his type before.

 

[Andy]

Select Grayscale printing .
========================================


=======================================

 

[Joel]

But how do you include some colour pages in the complete document if you
have switched the printer to grayscale?

There is no BUT besides optional. Some companies have been offering Gray
Scale only ink catridges for one who just want to print B&W photo. You will
replace the colors cartriges with the grayscale ink catridges.

Your case, if you want to print COLOR then putting the color cartridges
back.

 

[Joel]

You have completely missed my point - I need to print a multipage
document in one go (The machine staples it automatically) in which only
selected pages are in colour. The jpeg/ovation trick does just this printing
the grayscale pages in black only and the colour pages as required.

John

I don't think I have missed any point, and I responsed to the BUT

- You asked or want to know how to print Black right?

The answer is print as B&W

- You want to print Black from a color image right?

Then convert to true B&W *not* grayscale as grayscale isn't true B&W but
the mixture of Black and some Colors to make it gray

- You want the Blackest from color photo?

Then use photo editor to remove/reduce all other colors but black then you
have the black only. If it ain't black enough then you adjust the level,
brightness, curve, threadhold, color mixer, hue/sat etc. whatever option you
you have to make the not so black to be blackest it can be.

Document? I guess you are talking about scanned document? in this case,
and if you still have the document and scanner then scan as "document" using
"B&W" mode, and resolution shouldn't need more than 80-150 DPI/PPI (whatever
your scanner uses). In some case 70-100 PPI may give better result.

Just incase you mean the printer doesn't give the option to select B&W. In
most cases, the printer just print whatever color information the photo has.
If you have true B&W photo then the color printer should print B&W, if it's
grascale then it should mix Black with some colors to print as grayscape, if
it's color then it will mix the colors to come up with the similar colors.

 

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

/../

To add to the info, many printers do not give you any real B/W anyway,
even if you select greyscale you still use color. Some printers allow
you to select which cartridges you want to use, in that case you can
select "black only" or "color only" for example. You might be able, with
an open-source driver, to send pure greyscale/black to such a printer
but it might not understand that (depends if the limitation is in the
driver or in the printer firmware/head, I guess).

 

[Joel]

/../

To add to the info, many printers do not give you any real B/W anyway,
even if you select greyscale you still use color. Some printers allow
you to select which cartridges you want to use, in that case you can
select "black only" or "color only" for example. You might be able, with
an open-source driver, to send pure greyscale/black to such a printer
but it might not understand that (depends if the limitation is in the
driver or in the printer firmware/head, I guess).

You are correct that Grayscale is COLOR and the printer will mix color
with Black ink to make different level of grayscale. And as I have
mentioned that the OP has at least 2 different choice

1. Removing all color by changing the Color Mode to B&W only mode (Index
mode for example)

2. Or replacing all the color ink cartridge with Grayscale Ink Cartridges
then there will be no color but different level of black (grayscale).

Also, the grayscale ink catridge is the mixture of Black + Color's to make
it darker or lighter black.

 

[Gernot Hassenpflug]

Joel> You are correct that Grayscale is COLOR and the printer
Joel> will mix color with Black ink to make different level of
Joel> grayscale. And as I have mentioned that the OP has at least 2
Joel> different choice

Hi,

I am pretty sure you know more than I about printers, so let me ask you
this:

- in several (older model) printers I have analysed, there is an option
to use only the black cartridge. Clearly, this is a perfect solution.

Joel> 1. Removing all color by changing the Color Mode to B&W only
Joel> mode (Index mode for example)

- in newer models there is never any mode that uses only black, even
if a black cartridge is available and could theoretically be
used. Even in greyscale-setting, there are cases where CMY inks (only) are
used in the printjob. This seems to indicate that even if the document
contained only black (no grey) that color inks would be used,
depending on the quality setting for example. And on these printers, I
have never seen a mono setting (1-bit black/white only).

Does this make sense?

Joel> 2. Or replacing all the color ink cartridge with Grayscale Ink
Joel> Cartridges then there will be no color but different level of
Joel> black (grayscale).

This I would be very happy to see. I have only seen grey for high-end
printers, but what you are talking about I imagine is not sold in the
usual consumer-oriented retail outlets?

Best regards,
Gernot
PS I recently started hacking on Canon printer support for linux, so all
this is of decidedly practical interest to me.

 

[Dieter Riekert]

Joel> You are correct that Grayscale is COLOR and the printer
Joel> will mix color with Black ink to make different level of
Joel> grayscale. And as I have mentioned that the OP has at least 2
Joel> different choice

Hi,

I am pretty sure you know more than I about printers, so let me ask you
this:

- in several (older model) printers I have analysed, there is an option
to use only the black cartridge. Clearly, this is a perfect solution.

Joel> 1. Removing all color by changing the Color Mode to B&W only
Joel> mode (Index mode for example)

- in newer models there is never any mode that uses only black, even
if a black cartridge is available and could theoretically be
used. Even in greyscale-setting, there are cases where CMY inks (only)
are
used in the printjob. This seems to indicate that even if the document
contained only black (no grey) that color inks would be used,
depending on the quality setting for example. And on these printers, I
have never seen a mono setting (1-bit black/white only).

Does this make sense?

Joel> 2. Or replacing all the color ink cartridge with Grayscale Ink
Joel> Cartridges then there will be no color but different level of
Joel> black (grayscale).

This I would be very happy to see. I have only seen grey for high-end
printers, but what you are talking about I imagine is not sold in the
usual consumer-oriented retail outlets?

Best regards,
Gernot
PS I recently started hacking on Canon printer support for linux, so all
this is of decidedly practical interest to me.
--
Gernot Hassenpflug
Pentium DualCore E2180 2GHz, Asus P5, 4GiB RAM
17" Eizo screen, nVidia G94 GeForce 9600 GT
GNU/linux Debian unstable/2.6.32-2-bigmem SMP

That is something that can be achieved with PrintMulti
(http://www.lvbprint.de/html/printmulti1.html)
It is a kind of virtual printer. The job can be divided into parts with
different options like b/w and color.

[FirstPart]
Active=1
Printer=Canon Printer
FirstPage=1
LastPage=3
Color=0

[SecondPart]
Active=1
Printer=Canon Printer
FirstPage=4
LastPage=6
Color=1

....

[MixedPrinter]
Active=1
Action1=Print;FirstPart
Action2=Print;SecondPart

"MixedPrinter" needs the print processor "PrintMulti". "Canon Printer" can
be any local or network printer.
It is free for client OS.

Dieter