New Printer compatability OS X 10.2.8

[Roua1]

Hello Guys,

My father has recently been given a Power PC G4, which has OS X 10.2.8 installed on it. I have been trying to set up a Lexmark Z1420 printer (1 yr old) on this, however it tells me that it can only be used on 10.3 onwards. I am a windows user myself (boo hiss!) so am none the wiser as to how I can solve this problem. Surely there is a way for me to override this and install the printer??

Many thanks for reading this, I would greatly appreciate any help you could offer.

Ash

 

[DeltaMac]

Mac OS X 10.2.x was the first version of OS X that had a wide range of printers that could be used. It was still in the development stage, as far as printer drivers, so it seems many printer drivers dropped that level fairly quickly. That's part of the reason that Lexmark drivers for your 10.2 system are not available for your printer.

You're lucky to find a printer that will still be useful with 10.3! Some current printers need 10.4 or higher.
Any PowerMac G4 can be upgraded to 10.3 or 10.4
Many can be upgraded to the current Mac OS, which is version 10.5 (assuming enough RAM memory is installed)
You can find install sets for sale on eBay. If you look for a good deal, be sure to check that the set is the commercial install, which comes on disks with a black label, and a big X.
A grey-label disk will be a model-specific install, and usually won't install on other Mac models.
You will also end up with a Mac that is more stable with 10.3 or 4 - and more software is available, too.