Printing to a Windows 2003 Printer

R

rwilkerson

Registered
Although there are a number of "print to windows" threads, I didn't see one that quite matched my problem. I can connect to the server, I can even print to the server, but what gets printed is nonsense. It looks like its printing raw data.

Any idea why it's doing what it's doing an how I can get it to print the actual content I'm trying to print?

Thanks.

Rob Wilkerson
 
Your issue is directly related to what everyone is seeing - non-postscript printers require CUPS drivers in order to use the CUPS network protocols on OS X. Brother is the only non-postscript printer manufacturer so far to provide us with CUPS drivers (CUPS is the open source print control system Apple adopted starting with 10.2).

Tell us your printer model so we can help better.
 
Hey gsahli -

Thanks for the reply. I guess I didn't see enough common symptoms to realize that the issue was the same. My printer is a HP LaserJet (2100). An older printer, unfortunately, but hopefully one that can be made to work.

Thanks again.
 
The 2100 is easy - when you Add it in Printer Setup, select the model HP Laserjet 6 Series Gimp-Print.

Hope this helps.
 
Try printing a pdf to that printer. If that works then the first post regarding postscript is correct.
 
I seem to be having no end to my printing troubles. I removed the existing printer in order to try adding it again with the Gimp-Print option, but now OS X won't even find the printer. I can navigate to the network machine on which it resides - I can even mount a share that exists on that server, but I can't find the printer itself. My Windows machines pick it up fine (including a WinXP virtual machine running through Parallels on my Mac). Even my Ubuntu VM (also running through Parallels on the Mac) can find it and print just fine.

Any idea what I might be missing? I'm a recent switcher, so don't ignore the possibility of sheer ignorance. For the most part, all of my Mac setup has been pretty simple, stupid. This is the first real snag I've run across.

Thanks.

Rob
 
I've restarted both the print server and the Mac in an effort to avoid missing the obvious. Just out of curiosity, though, how can I restart Samba on the Mac without rebooting?

Thanks.
 
restarting Samba in the Terminal:
sudo smbd restart
sudo nmbd restart

Have you tried any generic fixes for this issue, like:
Repair permissions
Download the latest Combo Updater from Apple and re-update.
 
I have repaired permissions, but I'm not clear on the "Combo Updater" you mentioned. If you're asking whether I've run the software updater, then yes. Otherwise, I need a little more clarification.

Thanks for all of your help.
 
The Combo Updater is a "Combination" of updates and can only be downloaded from Apple. It is a common generic fix for Software Updates gone wrong - a common cause of Mac problems.
 
Then I guess I definitely haven't done that. I have no reason to believe that any of my software updates have gone wrong. Would there have been any sign at the time I did them?
 
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