I installed Snow Leopard yesterday, on the day of its release, and wrote an installation guide to help anyone else who is in a hurry to play with the latest OS from Apple.
Printers & Faxes
Today I spent my time getting things working the way I want them to. First up: getting my network laser printer working. I use an HP 5000n laser printer that we purchased some years back for its B-size printing capabilities. It also has built-in Ethernet networking capabilities. Under older versions of OS X, I configured the printer using the Internet Printing Protocol, one of OS X’s Printer Setup options. IPP lets you access a network-based printer as if it were a local printer connected to your Mac.
After I installed Snow Leopard, my default printer, the HP 5000n, was nowhere to be found. Our other printer, an older HP 5MP connected to our network via a small print server, showed up just fine. The little print server uses the Bonjour protocol; by default, Snow Leopard looks for Bonjour-based printers during the installation process. So the old HP 5MP was automatically installed and working, but the HP 5000n network printer was missing in action.
When I manually tried to install the HP 5000n, the Mac’s printer queue complained that it could not get a response from the printer. That seemed odd, since it was able to automatically figure out that the printer was an HP 5000n and was able to detect that the printer has a third paper tray installed. But when I tried to print, nothing happened; just an error message saying the printer would not respond.
After a bit of fiddling, and finally just trying the various options for connecting to remote network printers, I was able to get the HP 5000n to work by using the IP (Internet Protocol) based JetDirect connection option. JetDirect is HP’s proprietary protocol for connecting networked printers. Once I changed from IPP to JetDirect, the HP 5000n showed up, and I was able to print and use all of its printing options.
I have installed Snow Leopard on my Intel Mac Pro and my Xerox Phaser 7300 DN does not show up. I’ve tried everything – disconnect everything, reconnect, download driver again (doesn’t say anything about Snow Leopard). The print choices in my printer settings doesn’t show the 8500 DN. I am connected with USB. Can you help?
I believe the Xerox Phaser 7300 series of printers all used Adobe’s PostScript as the printing language, which means you should be able to get your 7300 DN working by selecting ‘Generic PostScript Printer’ as the driver.
You could also try one of the Gutenprint drivers for various Xerox printers that is included with Snow Leopard. None of the Gutenprint drivers are for your specific Xerox printer, but sometimes drivers can be ‘close enough’ to get most of a printer’s functions working. You can find the Gutenprint drivers during the printer install process by selecting ‘Select Printer Software’ from the ‘Print Using’ dropdown menu.
That’s the drop down menu that usually says ‘Auto Select.’
Most printer manufacturers and Gutenprint, an open source supplier of printer drivers, will update their drivers for use with Snow Leopard, but because the OS was just released, this may take a little time.
Tom
I’m in a similar situation after upgrading to Snow Leopard. I can have a Samsung CLP-510 laser on a USB based Linksys wireless printer device. Worked well for years until today. I was using IPP with the installed driver. Snow Leopard seems to have it in the list now. I use the same IP address which i can still access directly via Safari to configure the router. Every print job simply renders the printer in pause mode. Any thoughts?
Thanks, John
What IP address should be used if trying to hook a local HP (1020) printer via JetDirect as discussed above?
Hi John,
Try the Generic PostScript driver and see if that will get basic printing functions working. If it does, then try contacting Samsung to see if they have any newer drivers available for Snow Leopard.
If it doesn’t work, try connecting the Samsung printer directly to your Mac using a USB cable. This is just for testing to see if the Samsung driver or the Generic Postscript driver will work.
Tom
Hi Brenda,
I’m not sure if the HP 1020 is a network printer. Do you have it connected to a print server? If you do, you would use the IP address of the print server.
Tom
How about an HP 500DN? I tried all the above and more …nothing. I’m loathe to even try our Phaser 7300.
I also have an HP 5000n and have been having the same trouble as you did, except I still can’t get the computer to find the printer through the HP JetDirect protocol. I’ve spent considerable time on the phone with Applecare only to be told in the end that I need to find a new way for the HP to communicate. Right now it is connected via ethernet to my router. Any ideas?
If using a Xerox 7300 or similar, find the IP address from the front panel and type this into Safari. When the config page appears, click on install printer drivers. Run the installer after it downloads. Open System Preferences and add a new printer using IP and then choose IIP, type in the printers IP address and from the Print Using menu choose select printer software. Select printer driver for your printer here and click OK. It should now work correctly
I had a similar problem with my Hp printer. Hp now has a driver program for compatibility with Snow Leopard. Go to the Hp site, download, and follow directions. It fixed the problem with Hp. I also have a Brother printer and there were no problems there. Hopefully, Snow Leopard will automatically update the drivers now that both have been recognized.
I also am having problems after installing Snow Leopard and connecting to our shared network Okidata postscript printer.
After speaking with OKI for hours we have been able to find printer via usb connection and can web into it using the printer’s IP address but I can not print using ip address from my Macintosh. It just can’t connect or find the printer from the Printer set up.
Obviously it is not the printer drivers since I can print from usb. But would like to get back tp using it through networking .
It seems to have happened after installing Snow Leopard.
Snow Leopard/HP Laser jet 4000n will recognize one another through IP 0.0.0.0, but will not print. Error message: Network host ‘0.0.0.0′ is busy; will retry in 30 seconds… ” This message appears whether I connect directly to computer, switch, time machine or airport through Ethernet. The Nov 16 HP drivers have been downloaded and installed from Apple.
Now what?
Hi Susan,
You may have to wait for Okidata to update its printer drivers. I did a quick search at the Okidata web site, and the last driver update was when Leopard came out (OS X 10.5).
In the meantime, you may be able to use IP-based network printing, with a generic PostScript print driver, to make it work on your network.
Tom
Tom,
I talked at length with OKI.They say it is not a printer driver issue because I can connect to the printer using a very long usb cable and I can print.
But I was networked via ethernet and IP address before I up graded to Snow Leopard.
Also I can web into the printer using the printers’ IP address.
They are saying it is something between my Mac and the printer… not the print driver?
I also have just upgraded to Snow Leopard and have print issues. We have a HP 5000n printer on an ethernet network- small office, just a few computers sharing. But I cannot find the IP address of the printer. I think if I had that, I could connect. Other computers not running Snow Leopard print fine.
Any ideas?
You’ve probably figured this out already, but you can get the IP address by right-clicking the Menu button once on the printer itself below the readout, then when the readout says INFORMATION MENU, right click twice on the Item button. That’ll cause the readout to say PRINT CONFIGURATION. If you then press the Select button, it’ll print out your configuration, and on the first sheet, the IP address will show up in the Printer Information section.
After installing 10.6 my HP scanner 5550c can’t be found and every time i try to print to my Xerox Phaser 8560 the program i’m using crashes. i’ve tried them all. I’ve not usually had these problems with previous apple upgrades!!
I imagine it has to do with the drivers being written in PowerPC code and not Intel. Don’t think HP will update their old driver any more. The Xerox is a very expensive, fancy printer with many functions so i’m not really hoping to use any generic print driver.
Yup, same issue here trying to print to my OKIDATA C5300 using IPP under Snow Leopard. It seems that the OKI-supplied PPD for this printer, which has worked fine since Mac OS X 10.0, is broken by the new version of cups in Snow Leopard.
An update to the PPD (a manual tweak using TextEdit) should fix this — it’s just that I don’t have the first idea how to do it. But meanwhile the workaround here has been to switch from IPP to JetDirect. I’m proud to say I discovered this on my own without Tom’s help
but I’m happy to confirm Tom’s solution.
–
Chris
Thanks Tom your a legend, worked a treat
Regards
Chris
None of these suggestions has worked for me. I have an HP Laserjet 2200 and Xerox Phaser 6180 and they just don’t show up on the network even with an IP.
I am having the same problem after upgrading to Snow Leopard, trying to get an Epson 3800 to work. “Local host busy… ” message
Any advice on the Epson front?
thank you!
Hi Guys, I’m newey on MAC, I have a Network on my office, all machines have Windows 7 64 Bits, and I have connected & sharing a Epson 5600 CX. My machine is a Macbook pro with SLeopard, but i cant see the printer, anyone can help me?
I’ll appreciate very much.
Best regards
Rodrigo from Argentina.
Hi Guys
If anyone could tell me how I can get my Phaser 8560 to scan using a USB connection (or other way) with snow leopard for mac I would be very very
grateful.
Thanks
Justin
Thank you very much for this post, Tom !
I’ve been stuck for 2 days with a Kyocera network printer, and your solution is the only one working !
I’m “net-printing” now !!! Finally !!!
T-H-A-N-K–Y-O-U-!-!-!
HAVE A NICE DAY !
I’m having the same issue as Lin was having. Any suggestions? I’ve been struggling with this for days
“Snow Leopard/HP Laser jet 4000n will recognize one another through IP 0.0.0.0, but will not print. Error message: Network host ‘0.0.0.0′ is busy; will retry in 30 seconds… ” This message appears whether I connect directly to computer, switch, time machine or airport through Ethernet. The Nov 16 HP drivers have been downloaded and installed from Apple.
Now what?”
An IP address of 0.0.0.0 is invalid. Well, technically, it used to be a “broadcast” address that any device on a network was supposed to listen to. However, modern networks don’t use the old broadcast address and most network routers will refuse to forward broadcast packets.
The upshot is your printer needs to have a valid IP address to work. The error message you are seeing may indicate that the 4000n printer either doesn’t have an IP address assigned to it or your network lacks a DHCP server to force an IP assignment to the printer.
I’d check the 4000n manual for how to configure the IP address.
Tom
I have an HP5000N that I had issues getting to work with Snow Leopard, and thanks to your article, I got it working. Changing to Jet Direct was the ticket. That was while I had it plugged into my wireless router, but I don’t want to do that — I want plug it into the ethernet jack directly into my Imac — the router’s in a different room. Now that I have it plugged into the Imac, I can’t find the printer. Can’t ping it with Network Utility either, though it worked fine when it was plugged into the router. Ideas?
Our HP LaserJet 4200 network printer worked fine with OS 10.5 but one by one, as we loaded 10.6, our Intel iMacs stopped being able to access the printer. I spoke with Apple, who pointed at HP (”they wrote it”) and I spoke with HP, who pointed at Apple (”they built it into Snow Leopard”). So, we waited for 10.6.6, which included an apparently large HP update, but still no-go. The printer with its driver loads fine and I tried it with JetDirect, IPP, Postscript and PCL Laser, none of them work, either with a generic IP or our printer’s static IP. Our printer is connected via ethernet directly to our switch (lights ‘green’), which is directly connected via ethernet to our router. Appreciate any advice.
After stumbling upon this thread in a search for a solution to our networked laser printer problems I got it working as well using the JetDirect solution.
The printer a bunch of us share is a Lexmark E323 and before Snow Leopard, worked just fine using IPP to 192.168.20.10. Windows machines all still continued to function fine, but after a while the printing stopped for some of our Snow Leopard users.
It had worked before (perhaps for 10.6.4 or 10.6.3 and below – I still haven’t narrowed that down with certainty) and now does not.
But the solution was to reinstall the printer using the same IP address but JetDirect instead of IPP, and for some reason that seems to be working where the obvious choice is not.
Thanks to Tom and others for the suggestion
Ny daughter installed Snow Leopard and even Tiger and there is where the trouble started. We can’t seem to print either, and I am ready to take the computer back to apple. It is a communication error between the printer and the computer. I personally think that too much installed programs are to blame. Am I far off the mark. Any responses.?
Thanks, Tom, for your tip about the HP5000 and Snow Leopard. I just cut over to one of the early 2011 15″ MacBook Pros, and for the life of me I couldn’t figure out how to get the HP5000 to print envelopes correctly. They kept printing the wrong way, no matter what I tried. But switching the thing from IPP to Jetdirect protocol did the trick. Even with that, it doesn’t work right with the Gutenprint driver, but it does work with the non-Gutenprint one. Tom Carroll
Thank you for your discussion of printing with HP laser jets with Snow Leopard. I was dead in the water-my 4000N printer wouldn’t even show up !
But, as soon as I used your suggestion and added my printer’s IP address with JetDirect, it worked !
my problem is that not all the print options appears, like quality of printing…
I’ve got the same problem – but with Lion(I didn’t get Snow Leopard). Tried JetDirect, tried Generic Postscript, tried re-adding the printer a few times – I think I’ve tried nearly every solution here. Haven’t called Apple yet (because just got the computer yesterday and haven’t had time to), but I now have my old system AND the new system set up. I think it’s something in Lion’s setup that they’ll have to get the bug worked out because in my old eMac the 5000n works just fine. Crashes a lot with internet stuff, but prints just fine. I get a “printer not responding” message with Lion
So frustrating …. beautiful, powerful computer (Pro), love it otherwise.
I have a new iMac with Snow Leopard installed. My printer, a Canon color copier, needs to be accessed via an IP setup because it is part of a company-wide network. When I try to add it to my list of printers, the IP option does not appear. When I click the “+” to add the printer, there are no options at the top of the dialogue box; there is only the list of printers. Does anybody know how to fix this problem?