Our Setup:

• Printers are hosted on Server 2008 R2 Print Server. 
• Two local printers are created on the print server for each Xerox MFP that we have.   Example: Xerox MFP (B&W) - Default settings are set to print black and white only.    Xerox MFP (Color) - Default settings are set to print color.     So for every MFP we have two printers are created.

Both variations of the network printers are deployed to the users with the Black and White version being the default.    If a user needs to print something in color, they select the Color version of the MFP printer.   This helps us save on color toner costs. 

This works great for web applications, Microsoft Word, Adobe Reader, and other applications.   But, it doesn't seem to work in Microsoft Excel 2007 or 2010.   Whatever the default printer is of the two versions that are deployed, excel seems to hold onto those printer settings.

Example: If your default printer is Xerox MFP (B&W), when you select Xerox MFP (Color), it still retains the Black and White selection in the printer properties.  However, if you select a completely different model printer such as Fax, and then go to  Xerox MFP (Color), it will pick up the necessary default color settings.

If I install the printers locally on the user's PC/Computer, it works perfectly.   However, it doesn't work when they are utilizing the print server's printers.

Things that I have tried:

• Different drivers for Xerox.  Global, PS, PCL.
• Different brands of printers.   Still experience the same issue.
• Different port names.  
• Different protocols, raw versus LPR.
• Different versions of excel, 2007 and 2010.
• Looked through group policy to see if I could force it. 
• Checked the excel sheet settings, black and white only was not selected.
• Tried most of the printer properties settings. 
• Created a Server 2012 print server and experienced the same result. 
• Xerox's custom configuration file editor.

*Something to note, if I have the black and white version utilize PostScript Drivers and the color version utilize PCL driver, it correctly loads the color settings.   However, if you utilize Postscript for both versions, it doesn't.  I have to vary the print drivers.  Ideally, I don't want to have to do this because I want consistency between prints.