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Can't find my printer using Airport Express

I

infinity4ever

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 21, 2006
29
0
San Diego, CA
Ok. I have 2 pcs and a Mac Mini (only 1 month old). I want to eventually move all my home machines over to MAC. Anyway. I bought an Airport Express for my printing needs. No problem setting it up. I can print from both of my PCs. My mac is another story. It doesn't have my printer listed. How do I get it to recoginize my printer?

At one point I did connect my printer to my MAC via USB and I got it to work using the CD that came with the printer. I think I'm making this too hard, but I'm a newbie to MAC and I just can't figure it out.

Thanks!
 
mklos

mklos

macrumors 68000
Dec 4, 2002
1,896
0
My house!
I take it that the printer is connected to the AirPort Express via USB? If so, does it show up in the printers section of the AirPort Software? I would assume it does since you can print from the PCs.

If you go to the Apple Menu, then to System Preferences, then click on Printers and Faxes, then click the + to add a printer, does the printer show up as a Bonjour printer?

What type of printer is it BTW?
 
I

infinity4ever

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 21, 2006
29
0
San Diego, CA
The printer is attached to the Airport Express via USB. I can see the printer through the Printer Utility on the MAC, but I can't see the driver.

I have an HP Officejet 7130 all in one.
 
I

infinity4ever

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 21, 2006
29
0
San Diego, CA
mklos said:
I take it that the printer is connected to the AirPort Express via USB? If so, does it show up in the printers section of the AirPort Software? I would assume it does since you can print from the PCs.

If you go to the Apple Menu, then to System Preferences, then click on Printers and Faxes, then click the + to add a printer, does the printer show up as a Bonjour printer?

What type of printer is it BTW?
Click to expand...


When I add using the + the Print Using Box does not include my printer. Hope this helps!
 
mklos

mklos

macrumors 68000
Dec 4, 2002
1,896
0
My house!
Reload the drivers for the printer and see if that helps. I know my Brother Laser Printer didn't show up on my PowerMac using AirPort until I installed the drivers for it which aren't installed with OS X by default like a lot of other printers. Your's is too new to have the drivers preinstalled.

Here is a link to the HP Site if you've misplaced your driver CD:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...t=91466&lang=en&cc=us&softwareitem=oj-35213-1

With Macs you have to think stupid... Most things are 10x easier with a Mac than on a PC, which is the reason why a lot of switchers have problems at first. They try to do things the way they've done it on a PC.
 
I

infinity4ever

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 21, 2006
29
0
San Diego, CA
Sorry for the delay!

I installed the drivers and the HP Setup Assistant ask me to select my device. I tried tcp/IP (Network), but the printer doesn't come up. I also tried to create and add my IP address, it still can't find my printer.

Any thoughts about what to try next?
 
I

infinity4ever

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 21, 2006
29
0
San Diego, CA
Ok, I'm really confused. When I go into my Airport Admin Utility and click on Configure then on Base Station Options --> USB printer I see my printer listed.

If I go to the pirnter setup utility I see my printer listed with Bonjour, but the Print Using does not list my printer.

So I downloaded the software suggested above by a poster and it seems to download and install ok, but then in the setup I get to a screen that wants to know if I have a usb connect printer or TCP/IP. I selected TCP/IP but my Mac can't find the printer. I tried to create the device by typing the printer IP address or the network name or other combinations and still my Mac can't find it.

I feel like this is just a configuration issue, but I don't know enough about MAC to know how to fix it.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated :)
 
mklos

mklos

macrumors 68000
Dec 4, 2002
1,896
0
My house!
Is there any way to bypass the part where the software installer looks for the printer? Sometimes there's an option to continue without a printer connected and it will go on with the driver installation. I think if you can get past that point, it will go through ok. Your printer isn't a TCP printer, so it won't show up. Its a bonjour printer (aka rendezvous). So if you can get the driver to go all the way through then it should find the driver in the OS X Printer Assistant when you see the printer in the list of connected printers.

It kinda sounds like HP is making this harder than it needs to be, by trying to do too much for you....
 
mklos

mklos

macrumors 68000
Dec 4, 2002
1,896
0
My house!
mklos

mklos

macrumors 68000
Dec 4, 2002
1,896
0
My house!
You can hook it up to the Mac and share it out to the PCs through AirPort, or visa versa. Just don't hook it directly into the AirPort.

I have an HP 5110 AIO and an Airport Extreme Base Station...Let me try making it work and I'll tell you my results. Maybe I'll find something that will help you.
 
mklos

mklos

macrumors 68000
Dec 4, 2002
1,896
0
My house!
Ahh..crap. My HP 5110 AIO showed right up and printed just fine. It used an All In One 2.7.2 Driver. Let me see if I can find it and you may be able to print using that driver.

Did you install the HP Printer drivers when you installed OS X? You can tell by going double clicking on your hard drive, then double click on Library, then find a folder called Printers and double click on that. If there is a folder called HP, then HP drivers were installed by default. I think Apple installs everything by default on a new Mac so if you've never reinstalled the OS, then all printer drivers should be pre-installed.

Also, I installed the HP Printer drivers for my HP AIO. It didn't find my printer either in the HP Setup Assistant, but it did in the OS X Printer Setup Assistant just to let you know. Just don't go through the HP Setup Assistant. It won't help you any.


Look at and see if you already have an AIO folder inside the HP Folder. If you didn't uninstall the HP software, then there should be an aio folder present. To look follow these steps:

1. Double Click on your Hard Drive

2. Find a folder called Library and double click on that

3. Find a folder called Printers and double click that

4. Double Click on hp (if present) If not present, stop right here!

5. See if there is a folder called aio (all-in-one). If there is, proceed to step 6, if there isn't, stop right here.

6. Go back to the OS X Printer Setup Assistant (Printers & Faxes System Preference) and click back on the + to add a printer

7. Let it discover your printer again and click ONCE on it to select it.

8. If it doesn't detect a driver, which it probably won't, keep going through these steps below

9. Click on the pull down menu that says Printer Using:

10. Select Other

11. Navigate to: yourHD/library/printers/hp/aio/hp_aio_plugin (something like that)

12. Click Open and see if shows a valid driver. If that pull down menu is grayed out, then it didn't pick up the driver.

Let me know if you don't understand something and I'll further explain any questions/problems you have. If it continues to be grayed out then you're pretty much SOL to print directly through the AirPort. If it comes to this...I'll help you with getting it to print using USB printer sharing on the Mac or through the PC.
 
crazzyeddie

crazzyeddie

macrumors 68030
Dec 7, 2002
2,792
1
Florida, USA
After installing the drivers, even if you don't select a printer, it should work. If not, just hook the printer up via USB, set it up, then hook it up to the APx
 
I

infinity4ever

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 21, 2006
29
0
San Diego, CA
I followed your directions, but none of my options worked :( I can hook the printer up to my mini mac, as long as I can print somehow from my XP machines.

Basically I'm trying to get all of this configured before I move next month and the 3 machines live separately instead of all on one desk :)


mklos said:
Ahh..crap. My HP 5110 AIO showed right up and printed just fine. It used an All In One 2.7.2 Driver. Let me see if I can find it and you may be able to print using that driver.

Did you install the HP Printer drivers when you installed OS X? You can tell by going double clicking on your hard drive, then double click on Library, then find a folder called Printers and double click on that. If there is a folder called HP, then HP drivers were installed by default. I think Apple installs everything by default on a new Mac so if you've never reinstalled the OS, then all printer drivers should be pre-installed.

Also, I installed the HP Printer drivers for my HP AIO. It didn't find my printer either in the HP Setup Assistant, but it did in the OS X Printer Setup Assistant just to let you know. Just don't go through the HP Setup Assistant. It won't help you any.


Look at and see if you already have an AIO folder inside the HP Folder. If you didn't uninstall the HP software, then there should be an aio folder present. To look follow these steps:

1. Double Click on your Hard Drive

2. Find a folder called Library and double click on that

3. Find a folder called Printers and double click that

4. Double Click on hp (if present) If not present, stop right here!

5. See if there is a folder called aio (all-in-one). If there is, proceed to step 6, if there isn't, stop right here.

6. Go back to the OS X Printer Setup Assistant (Printers & Faxes System Preference) and click back on the + to add a printer

7. Let it discover your printer again and click ONCE on it to select it.

8. If it doesn't detect a driver, which it probably won't, keep going through these steps below

9. Click on the pull down menu that says Printer Using:

10. Select Other

11. Navigate to: yourHD/library/printers/hp/aio/hp_aio_plugin (something like that)

12. Click Open and see if shows a valid driver. If that pull down menu is grayed out, then it didn't pick up the driver.

Let me know if you don't understand something and I'll further explain any questions/problems you have. If it continues to be grayed out then you're pretty much SOL to print directly through the AirPort. If it comes to this...I'll help you with getting it to print using USB printer sharing on the Mac or through the PC.
Click to expand...
 
J

jerricabenton

macrumors newbie
Feb 15, 2006
1
0
mklos said:
Ahh..crap. My HP 5110 AIO showed right up and printed just fine. It used an All In One 2.7.2 Driver. Let me see if I can find it and you may be able to print using that driver.

Did you install the HP Printer drivers when you installed OS X? You can tell by going double clicking on your hard drive, then double click on Library, then find a folder called Printers and double click on that. If there is a folder called HP, then HP drivers were installed by default. I think Apple installs everything by default on a new Mac so if you've never reinstalled the OS, then all printer drivers should be pre-installed.

Also, I installed the HP Printer drivers for my HP AIO. It didn't find my printer either in the HP Setup Assistant, but it did in the OS X Printer Setup Assistant just to let you know. Just don't go through the HP Setup Assistant. It won't help you any.


Look at and see if you already have an AIO folder inside the HP Folder. If you didn't uninstall the HP software, then there should be an aio folder present. To look follow these steps:

1. Double Click on your Hard Drive

2. Find a folder called Library and double click on that

3. Find a folder called Printers and double click that

4. Double Click on hp (if present) If not present, stop right here!

5. See if there is a folder called aio (all-in-one). If there is, proceed to step 6, if there isn't, stop right here.

6. Go back to the OS X Printer Setup Assistant (Printers & Faxes System Preference) and click back on the + to add a printer

7. Let it discover your printer again and click ONCE on it to select it.

8. If it doesn't detect a driver, which it probably won't, keep going through these steps below

9. Click on the pull down menu that says Printer Using:

10. Select Other

11. Navigate to: yourHD/library/printers/hp/aio/hp_aio_plugin (something like that)

12. Click Open and see if shows a valid driver. If that pull down menu is grayed out, then it didn't pick up the driver.

Let me know if you don't understand something and I'll further explain any questions/problems you have. If it continues to be grayed out then you're pretty much SOL to print directly through the AirPort. If it comes to this...I'll help you with getting it to print using USB printer sharing on the Mac or through the PC.
Click to expand...


My printer has been working fine through Airport. However, I can not get the HP AIO Set Up Assistant to stop popping up every time I log into my comp. I can't complete the set up because HP can't find the printer, and I just get stuck at that step.

How do I get rid of this???
 
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