not all settings can be saved in individual templates

I am fairly sure those settings you list are not - they are 'remembered from last time' - if I open a template I never use, those settings are still as I have set them, not as they were when the program was installed

you do need to click apply for them to be remembered, just ok is not sufficient

xara can only have one default template

yes the ad-hoc settings set-up needs an overhaul, but then, so does UI itself and I don't see it happening soon because the cloud app is getting the attention