macOS Using applescript to install printer drivers and printer

[AvilaMac]

Hi All,

I am a school technician with over 600 macs onsite. There are several printers that the users here use. I have figured out the script for installing a printer using applescript but what I would really like to do is include the driver in the app so that users do not have to look for the drivers. Any idea how I can include the driver in my applescript? Right now the printer installation will only work if the driver is already installed on the machine.

do shell script "lpadmin -p PRINTERNAME -L 'Printer Location' -E -v ipp://'Printer address' /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/HP\\ Laserjet\\ 4250.gz -D \"Printer Queue Name\""​

How do I use Bundle Content to add the driver to script? Please advise

 

[kryten2]

Place the "HP Laserjet 4250.gz" file in the Resources folder of your application bundle. Then try this :

set thePrinterDriver to (path to me) & "Contents:Resources:HP Laserjet 4250.gz"
do shell script "lpadmin -p PRINTERNAME -L 'Printer Location' -E -v ipp://'Printer address'" & space & thePrinterDriver & space & "-D \"Printer Queue Name\""

or

set thePrinterDriver to ((path to me) & "Contents:Resources:HP Laserjet 4250.gz" as string)

My gut feeling says the above code is not going to work so I think it would be better to copy the included "HP Laserjet 4250.gz" file in the Resources folder of your application bundle to the appropriate location. In your case /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/

set thePrinterDriver to ((path to me) & "Contents:Resources:HP Laserjet 4250.gz" as string)
set thePrinterFolderPath to ((path to "impr" from local domain) & "PPDs:Contents:Resources:" as string)
tell application "Finder"
	-- Copy file from application bundle if it doesn't exixt
	if not (exists thePrinterFolderPath & "HP Laserjet 4250.gz") then
		try
			duplicate thePrinterDriver to thePrinterFolderPath
		on error theErr number theErrNmbr
			display dialog "Finder encountered an error while trying to copy a file." & return & theErr & theErrNmbr
		end try
	end if
end tell
do shell script "lpadmin -p PRINTERNAME -L 'Printer Location' -E -v ipp://'Printer address' /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/HP\\ Laserjet\\ 4250.gz -D \"Printer Queue Name\""

Script is tested with admin account. Don't know if you need admin privileges to copy to the /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/ folder. The Finder didn't ask for credentials when I manually copied a driver file.
Note : There's a /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/ and a /System/Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/ folder. Like I said this one copies to the /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/. If you need to copy to the other modify the script accordingly.