Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

It just WORKS??NO!cant PRINT!

teknikal90

teknikal90

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jan 28, 2008
3,447
2,226
Vancouver, BC
hey all,
ive posted this before, but im currently TRYING to print out work that i have and found out that even now, i still CANT print!
which sucks caus eif i have a windows pc, itll work JUST FINE!wtf apple, it just works???
my setup:

Mac --> wifi router --> windows pc --> HP PSC 1402 printer

if i connect the printer throuhg USB, wala!it works, the mac detects the type of printer and even shows what the printer looks like...pretty flash...the printer is shown to be running under the driver 'hp all-in-one 4.01'...which is the latest one i think...and the the model name of the priter is recognized 'HP PSC 1400 series'...
but!when i connect the printer back to the windows pc, i can still detect it, i can go...system preferences --> print&fax--> + -->windows --> workgroup -->windows pc --> printer.......BUT it doesnt detect what type of printer it is...AND when i try to browse for the driver - 'print using' --> 'select a driver to use'...the driver thats required, 'hp all-in-one'
doesnt show up!!!in fact theres only a minimum list of printer drivers avalable and the psc 1400 isnt in there.....whcih is weird, becasue i know mac supports it, as it prints through usb...even the damn picture of the printer appears!!
as you can tell im frustrated......and i would be VERY open to suggestions...
thanks

- tek
 
First of all, try to calm down a little :)

Secondly, I hope you find a fix because I'm having the same problem with my DeskJet 3550. It shows up over USB but the driver disappears when trying to access it once it's shared from a Windows PC.
 
Well, If you like being frustrated, stick with Printer Sharing. :p

I'd honestly suggest putting the printer on a network. Both machines will be able to see it from anywhere, config is a snap, and you'll have more time for more important things. If it's not a networkable printer, print servers are cheap. I gave up on shared printers years ago, and have added years back to my life.
 
the Mac HP drivers only work over USB. to print over the network you will have to use the CUPS driver.

open Print and Fax preferences and click the "+" button. click "Windows" in the toolbar then click your workgroup, PC's name and supply your PC's username and password then click the printer. name and location can be anything and besides "Print Using:" choose "HP Deskjet Series, 1.3" and click add.

if this doesnt work try adding it thru CUPS method in your browser here.
 
richthomas said:
the Mac HP drivers only work over USB. to print over the network you will have to use the CUPS driver.

open Print and Fax preferences and click the "+" button. click "Windows" in the toolbar then click your workgroup, PC's name and supply your PC's username and password then click the printer. name and location can be anything and besides "Print Using:" choose "HP Deskjet Series, 1.3" and click add.

if this doesnt work try adding it thru CUPS method in your browser here.
Click to expand...


ok just tried that, and doesnt work....ARGH...ive even downlaoded a third party ppd file for the psc1400 series and it doesnt work...some error in the ppd file...and id typed some commands into my terminal as was suggested in the article....how do i reverse them now?since it doesnt work...hope those commands dont make my computer vulnerable...

anyway, everytime i print i can go to the windows pc that the printer is processing a job from the mac....like it says 'printing'...but the printer doesnt do anything...
 
i entered these commands:
cd /usr/libexec/cups/backend/

and

sudo ln -s /usr/bin/smbspool smb


how do i reverse them now?seeing as that method doesnt work...
 
so let me get this right you printer is plugged into your windows pc?

and your mac cannot see it?


sounds to me like either a windows problem or a firewall problem on the windows machine!

download the drivers for the mac and install them from the hp website!
 
no i can see it, i can even install it...and i can "print"...but the printer wont actually print....it sends the data to the windows pc alright and the printer properties in the windows pc actually shows that there is a print job...but it doesn print!....i think its cause of bad driver...why wont the driver that shows up when the printer is connected through usb show up when printing over wifi?

and again...how do i reverse those commands that the article above told me to do....they seem to be dangerous to me...like opening some sort of port?should i be worried?or should i just leave them
 
Nermal said:
The printer is already shared on the network. The Mac's not seeing it, or more specifically it does see it, but the driver doesn't show up in the list.
Click to expand...

I thought the OP said that he's attempting to print to a printer connected to a PC that's being shared, not as a unique device on the network. I suggested getting it off the PC and out on it's own.
 
Why not just hook the printer up to the Mac and share it out to the Windows computer? Same results, less bitching.
 
teknikal90 said:
and again...how do i reverse those commands that the article above told me to do....they seem to be dangerous to me...like opening some sort of port?should i be worried?or should i just leave them
Click to expand...

Hey, I wrote that article. :) Are you using Leopard? There is actually a slightly different way to go about doing it in Leopard, I haven't had time to update the article, though. As far as reversing the commands, it isn't important. As far as I know it won't cause any vulnerability issues on your Mac.

If you really just want to get it to work without doing all these steps, connect & share it from your Mac or buy a cheap print server, like others have suggested.
 
richthomas said:
the Mac HP drivers only work over USB. to print over the network you will have to use the CUPS driver.
Click to expand...

Actually that's not correct, my HP is a wireless printer with a built-in air card and the default HP drivers on the Mac send my work right to the printer.

I'm a little confused at the OP's post. First he says that he can't print on the Mac but he can on the PC but in his second sentence he says he connected the printer to the Mac via USB and it works but not on the PC? Am I reading something wrong here?
 
ok, sorry obviously ive been a little confusing
symptoms:

1. i CAN print when the printer is connected directly via USB to the MAC......the MAC even auto-detects the driver for the printer...'HP all-in-one 4.01".
2. HOWEVER, when the printer is connected to the windows PC, which is on the network...i CAN STILL browse the printer from my MAC, BUT when i attempt to add it on the MAC, the 'HP all-in-one driver 4.01" that had previously appeared when the printer is connected via USB is nowhere to be found.in fact, the printer model is not listed on the available drivers list...when I use the generic driver 'HP deskjet driver'....the MAC thinks that the file is printing...it successfully connects to the printer (i know this becasue when i go to the WINDOWS PC where the printer is connected, i can see the print job being processed)...BUT the printer does NOT actually print....i suspect this is becasue the MAC under this circumstance does not have the correct driver.
3. it would be inconvenient for me to connect the printer to the mac as my mac is a laptop that i carry around everywhere.
4. its cool to see that the person who wrote that article is here.hey.
 
HLdan said:
Actually that's not correct, my HP is a wireless printer with a built-in air card and the default HP drivers on the Mac send my work right to the printer.

I'm a little confused at the OP's post. First he says that he can't print on the Mac but he can on the PC but in his second sentence he says he connected the printer to the Mac via USB and it works but not on the PC? Am I reading something wrong here?
Click to expand...

Yours is a quite different setup than the one of the OP.

You need the CUPS driver to print to a shared printer that is connected to a Windows PC. The other driver only works if you print directly (that is if you connect to the printer without passing through a windows machine).

This guides are for Tiger (don't know what the OP is running):

http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3015.html

http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/3002.html

With them I managed to print to a printer connected to a windows PC. Don't give up!
It's confusing at first but you should be able to make it run!

If you don't have the CUPS driver (this may be the reason you don't see it listed when the printer is connected to the PC) you will have to get it here:

http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/MacOSX/hpijs

You will need to install the "hpijs-2.7.10-UB.dmg" plus the "Foomatic-RIP" plus "thegplgs-8.61-ub.dmg".
 
when you installed OS X did you include the printer drivers in the install?

you may have to use the generic drivers over a network!

i think it is a postscript driver cant remember off the top of my head.


as for t he commands they are fine to leave.
 
teknikal90 said:
im on leopard.sorry i forgot about that...penryn macbook pro
Click to expand...

Well, most of the step should be the same, just don't expect to see the exact windows showing up as in the guide. ;)
The PC part should be the same... did you check that out?

If you encounter difficulties with the guides just post here and we will try to help you.
 
I also can't print through my wireless router. I have the printer connected to a usb print server to my router. Works fine on my wifes vista laptop, but all i get are blank pages. No text!!
 
rychencop said:
I also can't print through my wireless router. I have the printer connected to a usb print server to my router. Works fine on my wifes vista laptop, but all i get are blank pages. No text!!
Click to expand...

You need to provide more informations if you want help. What kind of print server you have? Model? What about the printer?
 
Nermal said:
The printer is already shared on the network.
Click to expand...

No its not. The OP is connecting the printer to the PC then sharing the printer. What he should be doing is connect the printer directly to his router and install the network printer drivers. I agree that this is the best option.
 
GimmeSlack12 said:
What he should be doing is connect the printer directly to his router and install the network printer drivers. I agree that this is the best option.
Click to expand...

That is only possible if the printer has that kind of connection (ethernet or wifi) which is probably not the case, or if the router also has print server functionality as well as an USB connection.
 
misterredman said:
That is only possible if the printer has that kind of connection (ethernet or wifi) which is probably not the case, or if the router also has print server functionality as well as an USB connection.
Click to expand...

I stand corrected.
I thought I read on the HP spec site that this printer had wireless network capabilities. Oh well, good luck OP.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back