Printer Ignores Print Quality Settings? Fix It Now

Quick answer

Open the printer's own properties dialog (not the Windows print dialog), set quality to high there, and save as default. If your printer still ignores you, you're likely dealing with a driver override or a misconfigured default profile.

Why your printer ignores your quality settings

I ran a help desk for years. This was the #2 printer complaint (right after paper jams). The root cause is almost always the same: your computer has two separate places to set print quality — the application (Word, browser, etc.) and the printer driver. The driver often wins. And for some insane reason, many printer drivers default to draft or fast mode out of the box. Windows 10 and 11 also add their own default settings that override yours. So you set it to high in Word, hit print, and the printer grins at you and prints garbage.

Another common trigger: you changed a setting in the wrong dialog. There's the quick print dialog (where you select pages and copies) and the printer properties dialog (where you set quality, paper type, color). Most people only use the quick one. The real fix lives in properties.

How to fix printer ignoring quality settings

Step 1: Open the right dialog

This is where almost everyone messes up. In your application, click File > Print, then don't click Print yet. Instead, click where it says "Properties" or "Printer Properties". That's the key. Not the little dropdown that says "Document Properties". The big "Properties" button. Here's what it looks like in most apps:

Print dialog → Properties (button) → Printer Properties window

Step 2: Set quality to high in the driver

Inside the Printer Properties window, find a tab labeled "Advanced", "Quality", or "Paper/Quality". Look for a dropdown or radio buttons that say:

• Best / High / Photo
• Normal / Standard
• Draft / Fast / Economy

Pick "Best" or "High". On an HP OfficeJet Pro 9015 (I've fixed dozens of these), the option is under the "Paper/Quality" tab as a slider: Best / Better / Normal. Slide it to Best.

On a Canon PIXMA TS9520, it's under "Quality" and you pick "High" with a radio button. Don't touch anything else unless you know what you're doing — changing paper type accidentally can mess up color balance.

Step 3: Save as default

Once you set quality to high, look for a button that says "Set as Default" or "Apply Defaults". Click it. Then click OK to close properties. Without this step, your setting only applies to the current print job. That's a trap.

Step 4: Check Windows print defaults (Windows 10 and 11)

Microsoft added a feature in Windows 10 that sets its own default quality. It often overrides what you set in the driver. Here's how to fix it:

1. Open Windows Settings (Windows key + I).
2. Go to Bluetooth & devices > Printers & scanners.
3. Click your printer, then click "Printer properties" (not "Printing preferences").
4. In the new window, click the "Advanced" tab.
5. Uncheck the box that says "Enable advanced printing features" — yes, this sounds backwards, but it stops Windows from overriding your driver settings.
6. Click Apply, then OK.

Some HP and Brother printers also need you to go to "Printing preferences" (the other button) and uncheck "Let Windows manage my default print settings". Check that too.

Step 5: Test with a simple document

Print a single-page Word document with a small photo or a graph. Before you click Print, go back into Properties and verify it still says "Best". If it reverted to "Draft", you didn't save as default in Step 3. Go back and do it again.

Alternative fixes if the main one didn't work

Sometimes the problem is deeper. Try these in order:

Fix A: Reinstall the printer driver completely

Don't just update. Uninstall the printer in Windows Settings, restart your PC, then download the latest driver from the manufacturer's website. Do not let Windows Update find the driver — it often installs a generic one that ignores quality settings. For HP printers, use the HP Smart app from the Microsoft Store. For Canon, download the full driver package from Canon's site. For Brother, use the Brother iPrint&Scan app or the full driver package.

Fix B: Check if your printer has a default profile set on the printer itself

Some business printers (like the HP LaserJet Pro M404dw or the Brother HL-L2370DW) store quality settings in their own internal menu. You need to change it on the printer's control panel. Press the Menu button, look for "Print Quality" or "Default Settings", and set it to "Normal" or "High". This overrides anything your computer sends.

Fix C: Reset the printer to factory defaults

If you're still stuck, reset the printer. Each model is different, but generally you go to Settings > Restore Defaults. Yes, you'll lose saved Wi-Fi passwords and custom settings. But it wipes out any corrupted profile that's stuck in draft mode. Then re-run Steps 1-5.

Prevention tip: Build a habit

Next time you set up a new printer, spend 2 minutes in the driver properties and set your defaults before you print anything. I know it's boring. But it saves you from the rage of printing a high-res photo and getting a grainy mess at a job interview or a client meeting. Also, every time you update the driver or Windows updates, check your defaults again — updates love to reset them.

One more thing: if you switch between different paper types (plain paper, photo paper, labels), the printer driver might automatically drop quality to match the paper setting. So if you set quality to Best but also accidentally selected "Labels" as the paper type, the printer will downgrade to Draft because it thinks labels don't need high quality. Keep paper type set to "Plain" or "Normal" unless you're actually using something else.