How to Change Printer Privileges on a Mac

Printer privileges let you block specific users or groups of users from accessing a printer. Mac OS X provides a permission-based setting to ensure only authorized users have printer access, cutting down on paper consumption, preventing situations where employees begin printing documents from home, and preventing other less environmentally-conscious employees from wasting paper by printing unnecessarily. You can modify printer privelages in your Mac's System Preferences options.

Click the Apple menu and then select "System Preferences..." from the drop-down menu.

Select "Print and Scan" from the Hardware section.

Enable network printer sharing by selecting the "Share This Printer on the Network" checkbox. Alternatively, disable network printer sharing by deselecting the box. Enabling network printer sharing means anyone with access to your network has printer access.

Click "Sharing Preferences" to set specific permissions by users and groups located on your computer. Make sure the "Printer Sharing" check box is selected.

Mark the check box for any printer you want to set advanced permissions for in the Printers section. In the Users section, the default settings displays the word Everyone. This means you have permissions set for any user account or group to access your printers.

Click the "+" button on the lower-right side of the Sharing dialog box. If the Lock icon in the lower-left corner is engaged, you must click the Lock first and then enter an administrator username and password. You may need to retrieve this information from your IT support staff.

Select from the list of available users and then click "Select." The users you select are granted permission to use the printer.