“Xerox Features” not showing in print dialog

Question

“Xerox Features” not showing in print dialog

"Xerox Features" are not showing in the print dialog pull-down menu (the one just below “Pages: From: to:”). It is not showing in Safari, Preview, Pages nor TextEdit. All I can see in the pull-down menu is a generic option called "Printer Features”, which does not properly give access to Xerox options.

The problem is observed on two different computers: a MacBook running Mac OS 10.13 (High Sierra) and an iMac running Mac OS 10.14 (Mojave).

I tried different versions of the Xerox print driver, including the most recent one and various versions from 2015 to now, without success. The printer is a Xerox ColorQube 8580DN. The driver latest version is 5.6.0, dated July 26, 2020.

I also have an HP LaserJet 3052 printer, and the problem is the same: the “Printer Features” option appears in the pull-down menu and does not give access to HP options.

However, the “Xerox Features” are showing properly in the latest version of Microsoft Office 365 applications: Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Therefore, it looks like the Microsoft Office installation program patches the Apple print dialog in a way which interferes with all other applications.

Anybody has had the same problem?

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Screen captures

Printer Features in pull-down menu – Pages

Printer Features options – Pages

Printer Feature sets – Pages

Pull-down menu with Xerox Features – MS Word

Xerox Features – MS Word

Xerox Feature sets – MS Word

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Aug 20, 2020 6:03 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Bernard Desgagné Author

Level 1

19 points

Aug 20, 2020 3:51 PM in response to Bernard Desgagné

Here is the explanation I just received on the Xerox forum:

What you are experiencing is expected behavior for Pages on macOS 10.14 (Mojave). This is due to something called "library validation" that Apple implemented on all of their 1st party apps on that OS. Xerox has a publicly available document published about this which you can read at the link below.

Link: http://download.support.xerox.com/pub/docs/CentreWare_Web/userdocs/any-os/en/Xerox_KB_Library_Valida...

Library validation is not enabled for Apple programs in macOS Catalina and they display Xerox Features as expected on that OS.

It looks like Xerox is blaming Apple and has no solution other than not to print from Apple applications.

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Answer 2

Sean Dale1

Level 5

4,439 points

Aug 20, 2020 6:15 AM in response to Bernard Desgagné

When you aded the printers did you use the manufacturers' drivers and not AirPrint or Secure AirPrint which seem to be the default options these days and don't always give you all the printer specific features.

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Answer 3

Sean Dale1

Level 5

4,439 points

Aug 20, 2020 8:54 AM in response to Bernard Desgagné

That's unusual it's normally the other way round in my experience. Stuff prints fine from other Apps but not Office. I see that the driver for the Xerox is a postscript printer driver and I've had problems with postscript drivers with other printers before and had to use alternative drivers. But in this case there don't seem to be any and there doesn't seem to be a recent firmware update for the printer either which sometimes fixes such problems. The HP doesn't appear to have a driver newer than the one for 10.7 so which drivers are you using for that? Presumably the HP drivers available through the Apple Software update.

You could try resetting the printing system as described here https://www.howtogeek.com/392059/how-to-reset-the-printing-system-on-your-mac/

Otherwise maybe someone else might have a few thoughts on the subject

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Answer 4

Aug 20, 2020 8:57 AM in response to Bernard Desgagné

I would put this issue at Xerox's door, as they are responsible for their print drivers working with Apple's print panel regardless of the application from which the print panel is accessed. Microsoft's applications add extensions to the Apple print panel, as any vendor is free to do.

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Answer 5

Aug 20, 2020 9:58 AM in response to VikingOSX

Phoning Xerox was among of my first steps also. Indeed, Microsoft's applications add extensions to the print dialogs, and it looks as though these extensions or patches alter the functioning of the printer driver in the print dialogs with non-Microsoft applications.

I will try uninstalling MS Office.

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Answer 6

Aug 20, 2020 11:50 AM in response to Bernard Desgagné

Any alteration of the macOS print panel is unique to Microsoft applications, and should not affect the Print Operation Framework stored in the operating system. Something may have changed in subsequent releases of Catalina since Xerox was (hopefully) testing their driver code earlier than July, and that may have introduced a conflict they need to resolve.

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Answer 7

Aug 20, 2020 1:21 PM in response to Bernard Desgagné

However, with High Sierra, the Xerox Features are accessible in print dialogs with Preview and TextEdit, as well as Microsoft applications. In Safari and Pages, they are are not.

In Mojave, only Microsoft applications give access to Xerox Features in print dialogs. All Apple applications do not work properly with the Xerox driver. The computer I use the most has Mojave.

I also have a computer with Catalina, and all applications I have tried with that OS give access to Xerox Features: Pages, Numbers, Keynote, TextEdit, Preview, Safari, Firefox, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

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Answer 8

Sean Dale1

Level 5

4,439 points

Aug 20, 2020 3:55 PM in response to Bernard Desgagné

I agree with VikingOSX that the problem lies with Xerox and he's probably got it right when he suggests that in developing a new driver to be Catalina compatible they may have inadvertently introduced a conflict that they need to resolve.

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Answer 9

Aug 20, 2020 4:23 PM in response to Sean Dale1

Actually, Xerox's explanation about Library Validation makes sense.

Until I can upgrade to Catalina, I will save the Xerox printer settings as "presets" using the print dialog of an application such as MS Word, which does not have Library Validation enabled. I should then be able to use the presets in other applications, including the ones which do have Library Validation enabled, such as Pages.

Thank you, VikingOSX and Sean Dale1, for the replies.

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Answer 10

Aug 20, 2020 6:47 AM in response to Sean Dale1

Thank you for your reply. I used the Xerox driver when I added the printer. The last three screen captures, from printing in MS Word, show the Xerox driver user interface.

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