printers posts

Filed under: Hardware, Software, Snow Leopard

Apple lists Snow Leopard-compatible printers and scanners

by Dave Caolo (RSS feed) on Sep 1st, 2009

I'll come right out and say that I don't like scanners. Granted, I haven't used any high-end models, but in my experience, scanning a simple image to my Mac was akin to piloting a space module. As a chimp.

While Mac OS X Snow Leopard includes a great number of scanner (and printer) drivers, some readers are reporting trouble with their particular machines. This week, Apple has published a list of both scanners and printers that are known to work. You can read it here. I've got an Epson R300, and luckily it's covered. Heck, even my beloved HP 952c still works under Snow Leopard. It's a comprehensive list, and we're hoping your machine is there.

Of course, if your peripheral stopped working after installing Snow Leopard, you ought to visit the manufacturer's website for an update. And by "visit" we mean "pester."

[Via Victor Cajiao]

Tags: compatibility, drivers, printers, scanners, snow leopard, SnowLeopard

Filed under: Software, Open Source

Better printing with Gutenprint

by Todd Ritter (RSS feed) on Feb 15th, 2009

Gutenprint (formerly called Gimp-Print) is an open-source package of improved printer drivers and utilities that can be installed on Mac OS X to enhance printing functionality and add additional support for older printers. It has driver support for over 1300 printer models, and adds a GIMP plugin for better print customization and color adjustments.

Since I do a lot of Mac system imaging and deployment, I don't like to install a bunch of separate print drivers on a seed image. I initially just used Leopard's built-in generic Postscript or PCL driver, but I had many issues with printing speed (the speed of spooling and job submission, not the speed of the physical printing process) and print quality. So I installed the Gutenprint package, switched all printers to the Generic Gutenprint PCL driver, and the printing issues subsided.

To use Gutenprint, simply download the .dmg (5.2.3 is the latest version) and install the package. All of the necessary PPD's and drivers will be copied to your computer, and you will be able to select Gutenprint drivers when adding printers. If you have an Epson Stylus Inkjet printer, you will then also be able to use "escputil" from Terminal to do printer maintenance like head aligning and cleaning.

Update: Thanks to Charley and Olligarski for commenting that Gutenprint drivers are now included in Leopard. I have used Gutenprint for a while but failed to check if it was installed before I started using the package. It's still worth the install if you're a Tiger user, but the latest version requires at least 10.3 Panther.

Continue reading “Better printing with Gutenprint”

Tags: drivers, pcl, postscript, printers, printing

Filed under: Software Update

Apple posts Canon/Brother print driver updates

by Cory Bohon (RSS feed) on Jun 6th, 2008

Yesterday Apple posted Brother Print Driver 1.1. Apple says that the update includes updates for "drivers for printers on your system." Apple also posted an updated for Canon printer users. Canon Print Driver 1.1 provides updates for "drivers for printers on your system."

You can download these updates by opening Software Update (Apple menu > Software Update). Apple also notes that these driver updates will only be available if you have version 1.0 of the drivers installed already, the printer is connected to the computer, and a print queue is created.

Tags: Brother, Canon, printers, Software Update, SoftwareUpdate, tweet-this, update

Filed under: OS, Software, Internet, Internet Tools

Network Magic: Simplify Mac and PC networking

by David Chartier (RSS feed) on Aug 28th, 2007

The Mac and PC networking challenge is legendary. If you have both on a home or work network, it can be an adventure to get these two machines to see each other, share files or printers. Fortunately, Pure Networks has an app for both Mac and PC called Network Magic which hopes to change all that, as it allows you to easily set up file and printer sharing, diagnose slow networks and more. It offers what looks like a simple interface for managing all this, though I should note that printer sharing only works with the list of printers that Apple officially supports and provides drivers for right in Mac OS X (i.e. - if you can plug a printer in and it works without having to install extra software). While the Windows version is a bit more powerful than the Mac component, folks who need to maintain a mixed network and are after the primary features mentioned here will likely be happy with Network Magic, though licenses are sold at a slight disadvantage for Mac users: packages of licenses begin at $29.99 for 3 PCs (5 PCs for $39.99, etc.), but it's $19.99 for each Mac you want to add to the package. Still, Network Magic looks like one of the easiest networking tools I've seen in a while, and perhaps if its popularity among Mac users grows over time, licensing can become more fair for both operating systems.

[via MacMinute]

Tags: Mac, Network Magic, networking, NetworkMagic, OS X, OsX, printers, printing, sharing, Windows

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