Lexmark 2300 Printer Installation

TylerDurden

Registered
I recently have just switched from PC to MAC.

I need some info on how to install my Lexmark 2300 Printer with my MAC. All the installation books that come with the printer only mention Windows and PC.

So I need to figure out how to install it on a MAC. I have pretty limited knowledge when it comes to Macs so please try to be as 1st grade as possible when explaining this stuff to me.

thanks.
 
Are you sure that's the exact model of the printer? I checked Lexmark's web site and I couldn't find what you described as a "Lexmark 2300 printer." Give us the exact model number and we can go from there.

For the record, if the driver exists, it's just a matter of connecting the USB cable to it and heading to the Print & Fax pane in System Preferences. System Preferences is located in the Applications folder.
 
There are no drivers for this printer from Lexmark, and Gimp-Print doesn't support it.
 
There are hundreds of printers from highly reputable manufacturers who choose to support MacOS X. Why hold your computer choice hostage to a printer that does not support MacOS X?
 
MisterMe said:
There are hundreds of printers from highly reputable manufacturers who choose to support MacOS X. Why hold your computer choice hostage to a printer that does not support MacOS X?
because i just bought this printer and it worked great with my PC but now I come to find out that it doesn't work with a Mac. now i have to buy a new freaking printer. I thought OSX was supposed to be on some next level easy integration type but that doesn't seem to be the case.

sorry to vent but i'm just pissed off because this is a good all in one printer but now i might as well throw it in the garbage.

cause in order for me to utilize it i have to have it hooked up to the net..which means i would have to buy a DSL wireless networking card for my PC Laptop..which is like 50 bucks. i might as well just buy a printer for that cost.

man..Daaaaaaaaaaaamn. I AM FURIOUS RIGHT NOW¡
 
As I've mentioned before in other posts, this is why it's good to research before you buy. It's not Apple's fault that the printer isn't supported....Apple didn't tell you that that particular printer would work with your Mac. It's not even Lexmark's fault since they themselves state that it's only for Windows computers on their website. You (as you said) "thought" that OS X was supposed to do something so remarkable that no other operating system could do. If you believe that, then I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

At this point, the only one to blame is yourself. I know that's harsh, but it's true. No operating system promises the world. Sure, OS X is better at working with other devices, but like every operating system if it's not already supported it's up to the manufacturer of that peripheral to support it. If they don't want to, that's fine.....there are many other options. Don't blame them because you haven't done the research.
 
To add some solution to my comment, the best you can do is return the printer you have bought for another one that is supported. Hopefully this printer was just recently purchased.

That, or you can return the Mac and stick with the PC so you can continue to use your printer. Of course, if you bought an Intel Mac, you could just use Boot Camp and install Windows XP on it. Then you would have your Mac hardware and still use your printer......except that you would be running Windows. Oh well, at least it's an option.

Just be sure to read all the information on that page.
 
well i bought the printer off of ebay and before i even thought of getting a MAC. Then a good deal came along so I decided to pick up an IMAC.

I'm sitting here with a Mac..but yet it doesn't support one of the latest printers on the Market?

Now I've got to break out my Linksys DSL wireless router and pray to god that it's compatible with OSX. Then I've got to get a wireless networking card for my PC laptop and use it only for printing purposes.

And all because the so-called greates operating system in the world doesn't support an up to date style printer. i feel like slapping someone in the face..

And i'm not installing windows on my Mac. that would defeat the whole purpose of having a fuckin mac, right?

Hi, I'm a Mac and I'm not even compatible with one of the worlds biggest printer manufactuers.
 
Again, WHO IS TO BLAME? You ASSUMED that it would work. You should have asked anywhere before you bought it. It's Lexmark's decision to support whoever they want.

BTW, as far as support for hardware, consider that I had a NetTV-98 card that worked fine under Linux. Mind you, this was a card that was solely supported under Windows 98. There are NO drivers for XP for this card, and it managed to BSOD my XP machine. So much for Windows being able to detect everything, eh? Then again, the card manufacturer never said it would work with Windows XP.

I understand your frustration, but just chalk it up to experience. I have various computers running OS X, Mac OS Classic, Windows XP, and Linux. They all work flawlessly for me, but every so often i'll encounter some incompatibility. There's nothing you can do, and bitching about it won't help....especially if you're going to bash something that many users of this Mac OS forum have not had problems with. You'll come off sounding like a troll and won't get any help from anyone. The best they'll tell you is to sell the Mac and continue to use your PC.

And you're not screwed. Your router will work with the Mac. I have a Linksys WRT54G and I have my iMac G4 running OS X 10.4.6, my Quadra 650 running System 7.6.1, my Linux PC running Slackware, and my Windows box all connected to it. Both the iMac and the Windows box are wireless. All of them can print to the printers (HP, since my experience tells me they work on all three platforms) and all of them can file share (for the most part...the Quadra only talks to the Linux box through netatalk and the iMac). And yes, all of them can get on the Internet. So rest assured it will work.

Just quit venting and help us find a solution for you that will work.
 
nixgeek said:
Again, WHO IS TO BLAME? You ASSUMED that it would work. You should have asked anywhere before you bought it. It's Lexmark's decision to support whoever they want.

BTW, as far as support for hardware, consider that I had a NetTV-98 card that worked fine under Linux. Mind you, this was a card that was solely supported under Windows 98. There are NO drivers for XP for this card, and it managed to BSOD my XP machine. So much for Windows being able to detect everything, eh? Then again, the card manufacturer never said it would work with Windows XP.

I understand your frustration, but just chalk it up to experience. I have various computers running OS X, Mac OS Classic, Windows XP, and Linux. They all work flawlessly for me, but every so often i'll encounter some incompatibility. There's nothing you can do, and bitching about it won't help....especially if you're going to bash something that many users of this Mac OS forum have not had problems with. You'll come off sounding like a troll and won't get any help from anyone. The best they'll tell you is to sell the Mac and continue to use your PC.

And you're not screwed. Your router will work with the Mac. I have a Linksys WRT54G and I have my iMac G4 running OS X 10.4.6, my Quadra 650 running System 7.6.1, my Linux PC running Slackware, and my Windows box all connected to it. Both the iMac and the Windows box are wireless. All of them can print to the printers (HP, since my experience tells me they work on all three platforms) and all of them can file share (for the most part...the Quadra only talks to the Linux box through netatalk and the iMac). And yes, all of them can get on the Internet. So rest assured it will work.

Just quit venting and help us find a solution for you that will work.

Alright I'll stop venting.

So heres what I want to do....

1. I've got an IMAC G4.

2. I've got a Linksys Wireless G Broadband Router 2.4GHZ (I don't know the model or have the drivers)

3. I want to be able to set up my printer to my laptop.

4. If possible I would like to be able to set it up so that I can tell my PC to print from my Mac. Like, lets say I wanted to print t his post out. I want to be able to hit "print" and have it come out of my printer that is hooked up to my laptop.

5. I have another problem..i need to get the reinstall software for this IMACG4. Unfortunately the person I bought this Mac from is unable to be reached and all his files are on it but they are password protected. What options do I have?

Thanks for being patient.
 
My mistake, I meant to say iMac G5...my finger went in the wrong direction. But that still doesn't change anything... :p

As for the OS install discs, the only options you have are to continue contacting this seller to get the discs that came with that Mac or you could purchase the OS X retail installation discs. Don't bother asking about downloading since it's against the board rules here. Check here for purchasing OS X:

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/osx-center/software-and-more/

As far as getting the Mac to print to that Lexmark which will now be connected to a PC, there's an option in Windows to install Windows Services for Unix (or something like that). This allows Windows to share out printers to Unix machines as an LPD printer server. Since Mac OS X is basically a Unix operating system, it could theoretically connect to this service once installed on the Windows laptop. I'll look further into this as an option and I'll keep you posted.

As for the wifi router, the actual model number and revision should be on the bottom of the router itself. Mine is a WRT54G rev. 3, for example. You don't really need any drivers for it. You might not even need the routing portion of this router...just the LAN switch ports since you're on dial-up.
 
thanks man..i'm on DSL though. not sure about the terminology you guys use as to if you call that dial up or not.

thanks for the help.

anyways ummmm so if i wanted to get a blank slate on this Mac i would need to install OSX? thats basically want i want.. a blank slate because the douche that sold me this thing is harder to get ahold of then the president.

thanks
 
Are you able to login to it at the very least? If you can, then head to the Apple Menu (top left) and then select "About This Mac." Once you've got that open, click on the "More Info" button. That will give you all of the specs on the iMac. You can also check out Low End Mac for the Mac you have specifically. Reason I'm asking is that I want to make sure you can run Tiger without it being too sluggish. Otherwise, I would recommend Panther (10.3.x) which is just as good (and cheaper now :)).

As for the terminology, it's either broadband or DSL. Dial-up refers to using an analog modem, like the 56K ones and below. Even though with DSL you're "dialing" a number, it's completely different than a real dial-up connection. DSL, like with cable, can be an "always on" connection since it's not inturrupted by a phone call from a person. This is how I have it set up at home.

Regarding my DSL setup, I have set up my DSL modem to function in "bridged mode." This allows it to pass all the routing functions over to the router (my Linksys WRT54G). You can configure this on the modem through the HTML interface as per the instructions of your DSL modem. Before you do that, however, write down all the login information for your DSL connection, as well as the listed DNS nameserver IP addresses (these help resolve HTTP names like www.macosx.com to IP addresses so that you can type www.macosx.com and reach the designated site). You're going to take this information and configure it on your Linksys router once you've switched the DSL modem to bridged mode. This is how I have it set up at my house.

Let us know how it all turns out.
 
it has a 1GHZ processor as well as a 256 RAM. would i be able to run Tiger w/o a problem or should i go with Panther. I believe he is running Panther now.

Plus I want to get ILife 06 would there be any compatibility issues between Ilife 06 and Panther.

And finally..he does have some progs on here that i want...how can i burn them so that when i install a new OS i can just reinstall them.

thanks
 
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