[MacTUG] Printer drivers in Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.6

[Marlon A. Griffith]

Printer drivers in Mac OS X Leopard 10.5.6


Printer drivers for any operating system continue to be an issue. As we update our computer's software to increase our productivity, fun, or whatever else we do, we often do not look to upgrade our peripherals--especially printers. It seems as though it is hard enough to find a great printer, so the last thing any of us want to do is be told it won't work with our latest software upgrade. Such can be the case with Leopard.

MacFixIt user booper1 expresses this sentiment:

    "After installing OS X 10.5.6 on my MacBook, the printer drivers for both HP Photosmart C5180 and old faithful Deskjet 935C had problems. The Device Handler on the newer one wouldn't work, but HP has an update for it which, when installed, fixed the problem. On the 935C, which relies on the Apple generic printer drivers in OS X 10.5 (Gutenprint version), now has lost some of its features. The paper/quality feature is not there anymore -- no more Draft quality prints, for one thing. It has a DPI resolutions feature instead, but this isn't the same; seems to use lots more ink. HP doesn't have a driver for 10.5. I tried installing the driver used in OS X 10.3.9, but it doesn't help."

However, Apple has released a KB article, http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1370, on the issue.

This article gives links to printer drivers supported by Leopard (by printer manufacturer), tips on installing drivers, as well as notes about some printer features that may not be available in Leopard. Please take the time to check this article out--especially if you're looking for a new printer.

http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20090320104751317