add printer problem

[jvf]

Hello,
I’m posting this in the OS X group but please correct me if this is wrong. I’m having great difficulty installing an HP 2100tn networked printer on a Leopard (10.5) machine. To see if 10.5 was the problem, I also attempted to install the printer on a 10.6 Snow leopard machine but had no luck either. There is a Tiger (10.4?) machine also on the network that has no trouble printing to the 2100. The 10.5 is an Apple installed upgrade from Tiger 10.4. The 10.6 machine I upgraded myself from Tiger. According to the HP website, drivers for the 2100 are on the DVD install disk for both 10.5 and 10.6 and no download is necessary. Nothing showed up on either machine when attempting to add the printer so I have inserted the OS disk on both machines and done the optional install of all printer drivers.

Here is my attempt log for the 10.5 machine:

1) Installed all print drivers
2) Printer list empty
3) Try to add printer
4) What protocol to choose?
LPD shows nothing
5) Choose HP jetdirect (which is what HP has installed in the printer)
‘Print using’ says please select driver or model

6) Click down arrow and get choice –‘select driver to use’
Click that and window grows at bottom like pulling down a window shade but then snaps back up with please select a driver or printer model grayed out and no model numbers showing

7) Repeat this process several times with reboots in between
Finally get driver list when clicking down arrow and find driver but ‘add’ button grayed out so cannot add driver

Why does the list start to appear but shrink back to nothing sometimes? That seems wrong to me. Why is the ‘add’ button grayed out? Is this a permissions problem? If so, I would think that I would be denied the ability even to start the process of adding a printer. Why lead me down the path only to slam the door in my face later?

On the 10.6 machine, I don’t even get the choice to ‘select driver to use’ as everything is grayed out.

Can anyone shed some light on this??

Thank you,
jvf

 

[gsahli]

Yes, I would use IP > HP Jetdirect. You know the IP address of the printer, right? And it's in the same subnet, too? Example of being in the same subnet - computer, 192.168.1.4; printer 192.168.1.100. Only the last part is different if they're in the same subnet.

You can try generic postscript or generic PCL 6 if the right driver doesn't show up.

 

[jvf]

Unfortunately, I don’t know the IP address of the printer. If I did, I’d try to add the printer manually. I don’t know enough about Mac to start any kind of IP or port scan. I tried a scanner utility from my PC laptop. It found the Airport and the two connected computers (mine and the Mac) but the printer didn’t show up. My Snow Leopard Mac shows the IP address of its two printers but I have given them static addresses on my network. Would the Tiger laptop that can print to this printer show the printer IP if it wasn’t static? The laptop wasn’t there so I couldn’t look.

But, it brings up a question. The Snow Leopard computer wasn’t hooked up to its network but did show the printers. I am hoping this means that the drivers for a printer that is not present can be installed. Do you know if this is the case? If so, I’m going to take it into a local Apple store and make them figure out how to get the drivers installed.

I’d love to try an alternate driver but, as mentioned, on the intermittent occasions when I can get a driver list to appear I can’t choose ANY driver. This is why I think something’s wrong here. Depending on the current ‘add printer’ attempt we either get a driver list where no driver can be chosen or we don’t get a list at all.

 

[schweb]

Here's an article that may help:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...fMFHTq3VPlmRAif4A&sig2=rmtRJbu1J90QZb5Ob-Hvsg

A lot of what I'm finding though online are from people saying this printer doesn't seem to be 100% compatible with 10.5 or 10.6 since it's 11 years old now.

 

[jvf]

Thanks schweb,

I’ve been searching without success for information on how to troubleshoot more from the HP angle. I downloaded the manual hoping to find how to print the config page/reset things, etc. but didn’t see it. I’ll print this article out.

In spite of HP claiming it’ll work fine under 10.5 and 10.6 I’m also getting suspicious.
But, when the elusive driver list does appear, there IS a listing for Laserjet 2100 series along with two other more generic options.

So far, it seems my problem is still more basic: I can’t install ANY driver to see if it works or not. If I could actually click the ‘add’ button to get one installed then not print, I’d be more worried about compatibility.

Do you have any idea why the ‘add’ button is grayed out?

 

[gsahli]

Because that printer uses the HP PCL page description language, it is 100% compatible with OS X, even if HP didn't offer a specific driver!!!

But, I know the driver is in 10.6, because it is listed here:
Mac OS X v10.6: Printer and scanner software

The printer was made before "bonjour," so you must know the IP address and enter it in the add printer dialog. If the printer's IP is outside the local subnet, you need to set a correct IP address in it.

Try pressing the Go and Cancel buttons on the printer simultaneously to get a config page printout.

Let me know what the IP address is, and what your computer's is. (giving out local-only IP addresses is OK, because your router prevents anyone outside your local network from getting in. Local-only IP addresses usually start with 192.168.x or 10.0.x)

 

[jvf]

Hello gsahli

I agree. In spite of reported issues, it would seem that this printer should work under Leopard and Snow Leopard. Armed with the knowledge that you and schweb have provided I am reasonably confident of discovering (and changing if necessary) the printer’s IP address. At least I’m trying to connect to HP JetDirect, a reasonably worked out print interface. I won’t be able to try again until after next weekend because I am going out of town so I’ll report my findings upon return. If I’m still having trouble, I’ll take the printer with me and practice at home to provide more timely updates and apply any advice given.

No one has directly addressed the grayed out ‘add’ button issue or the possibility of adding a not yet connected printer. Perhaps for older printers such as this the procedure must be different, such as being mandatory to supply an IP address? So, am I to assume that upon entering a valid IP address that OS X is going to discover the printer and automatically install the correct driver? I sure hope so in case nothing happens after the IP entry and the grayed out ‘add’ button uselessly stares out from the screen.

jvf

 

[jvf]

Hello all.

The Mac Leopard is now printing to the HP Laserjet but I’m a little red-faced about the root cause of the problem. Ignoring my own advice, I did not completely observe the hookup and arrangement of all the network components. I thought she had an Airport Extreme connected to a switch to extend the wired portion of the network. Armed with the configuration printout (thanks, gsahli) I noticed that the jetDirect was configured as DHCP with current address in the 192 range not the Airport 10 range of the laptop. Diving under the desk and performing another “plumber under the sink” impression, I discovered that the reverse was true. The modem was connected to a broadband enabled Netgear router that had a connected Airport Express happily administering DHCP to its wireless network. This also explained why the wire connected Tiger laptop had no trouble printing.

After reconfiguring the Express as a bridge, disabling DHCP and giving it a static IP I chose the HP jetDirect protocol in ‘add printer’ and supplied the IP address per the config page. The Mac verified the address and fetched the print driver straight away. Wow! It also seems to answer my question of being able to add a non-connected printer-guess not.

I wanted to give the print server a static IP also but, for some reason, the jetDirect web interface seemed to be read only and the printer is so old there’s no screen. I tried to download an HP jetDirect utility to my PC that might do it but the Internet connection dropped so I gave up and quit while I was ahead.

Thanks to everyone I’m now more familiar with the Mac printer interface and have obtained some long sought knowledge about the HP jetDirect print server.

jvf

 

[gsahli]

Thanks for giving us feedback. Yup, it's always some little detail that gets us!