OSX 10.6.8 Update and Printing

The 10.6.8 update closed some security holes in OS X related to the printing system, but, in doing so, caused the print drivers for certain manufacturers (including Toshiba and Konica Minolta) to break. Apparently, these companies wrote very custom drivers that relied on whatever Apple closed; printers from companies that used the printing APIs (such as HP) are fine.

If you have recently updated your Mac you may be unable to print to KM copiers: the print queue will simply be "stuck" on Paused. Fortunately, the fix is quick, if non-obvious:

• From the Finder menu choose Go, then Go to Folder...
• Enter /etc/cups/ppd in the Go to Folder dialog box and choose Go.
• Find the ppd named PrinterName.ppd. (This is the same name as the printer name in Print and Fax with a .ppd extension. )
• Drag the ColorPrinter.ppd to the Desktop.
• Open the ColorPrinter.ppd with TextEdit.
• At the end of the PPD add the following line exactly as written: *cupsSNMPSupplies: False
• Save the modified ColorPrinter.ppd to the Desktop.
• From the /etc/cups/ppd folder, move the original ColorPrinter.ppd to the trash. Authenticate when prompted.
• Drag the modified ColorPrinter.ppd from the Desktop to the /etc/cups/ppd folder. Authenticate when prompted.
• Printing should now work as expected. (You may have to start the print queue if it was previously paused)

This can also be done from the command line, which is a little faster:

• Open Terminal
• Navigate to /etc/cups/ppd (cd /ect/cups/ppd)
• List the printers (ls)
• There will be a series of files in the format "printername.ppd"
• Create a backup of the print queue (sudo cp printername.ppd printername.ppd.bak)
• Edit the printer queue in vim (sudo vim printername.ppd)
• Insert a new line below the last line: "cupsSNMPSupplies: False"
• Exit Insert mode in vim, save and quit