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printer work around

Upgraded to Big Sur...my Brother HL2170W is not supported, so my Mac does not recognize a connected printer. Is there a work around or do I now have a big paper weight?


iMac 21.5″ 4K, macOS 11.0

Posted on Dec 8, 2020 9:48 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 8, 2020 7:41 PM

Hello,


Yes, as Ronasara mentioned, try a fresh macOS Catalina 10.15 driver first, after resetting the printing system and re-adding the printer. Unfortunately, the HL-2170W does not support the driverless AirPrint technology.


https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hl2170w_all&os=10060


Reset the Mac printing system to solve a problem - Apple Support

Add a printer on Mac - Apple Support


Otherwise, what happens if you choose to use a generic driver? The printer emulates PCL6.



10 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Dec 8, 2020 7:41 PM in response to luthercm

Hello,


Yes, as Ronasara mentioned, try a fresh macOS Catalina 10.15 driver first, after resetting the printing system and re-adding the printer. Unfortunately, the HL-2170W does not support the driverless AirPrint technology.


https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hl2170w_all&os=10060


Reset the Mac printing system to solve a problem - Apple Support

Add a printer on Mac - Apple Support


Otherwise, what happens if you choose to use a generic driver? The printer emulates PCL6.



Dec 16, 2020 6:30 PM in response to Grant Mattox

Hi Grant Mattox,


For general information, see Add a network printer by its IP address in https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mh14004/11.0/mac/11.0 .


I guess that you have the same printer model, HL-2170W.

https://support.brother.com/g/b/spec.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hl2170w_all

If so, have a look at the Network User's Guide (found under

https://support.brother.com/g/b/manualtop.aspx?c=us&lang=en&prod=hl2170w_all);

for example, pp. 100 and 107.


Dec 17, 2020 8:55 AM in response to luthercm

luthercm Said:

"printer work around: Upgraded to Big Sur...my Brother HL2170W is not supported, so my Mac does not recognize a connected printer. Is there a work around or do I now have a big paper weight?"

-------


Go Here: Macintosh macOS 11 Big Sur - Compatibility - Brother

As it Reads: "We don't have plans to release official compatible drivers or software for your model on macOS 11."


But, using a Virtual Machine would do the trick - and it might be much less than purchasing a new printer. So, the only way to use it may be to use a Virtual Machine.


Run it Using a Windows Virtual Machine:

If there ends up being not solution for this, consider using a Virtual Machine(VM) for running Windows (Windows-in-a-window). You would open items in it, and use Windows-only compatible software on it. All would be accessed and would operate as desired on the VMVirtual Machine applications include VMWare Fusion and ParallelsLearn more here: What Is a Virtual Machine? - VMWare Support.


Printer Home Page: Brother HL2170W Support - Brother

Screenshot of FAQs:

Dec 8, 2020 10:05 AM in response to luthercm

The Brother web site has a download of a driver for your printer that works with Catalina. Have you tried using it to see if it will work with Big Sur? If it does not, then ask Brother when they will be releasing an update that works with Big Sur. In the alternative, does your printer have Air Print capability? If so, use that and remove any current drivers you have installed. Finally, you can visit the site at the link below where volunteers have written drivers for a lot of printers which are no longer supported. You may find one there which works.

Gutenprint Supported Printers

Dec 8, 2020 10:58 AM in response to luthercm

I haven't upgraded yet but I have the same printer.

I think I saw someone had been successful using a standard protocol with the printer - I think it was the LDP protocol. You could try that - I think you need the IP address of the printer.

There may be some printer specific options that you cannot select but printing may work.

If you manage to get this working I would be interested to hear - I don't think Brother has updated the LL-2170 driver even though they have updates to other printers.

Dec 9, 2020 7:28 AM in response to Jan Hedlund

I appreciate these suggestions. I have dowloaded the most recent drivers available and and reset the printer. When I try to download a generic I get sent to the brother site which says that my printer is not supported. I can't find a place to simply download a generic...it always asks for the model and then says it is not supported.


https://support.brother.com/g/b/oscontents.aspx?c=us&lang=en&ossid=3


I really hate this because the printer is very dependable and does all I need it to do.

Dec 9, 2020 10:43 AM in response to Ronasara

Ronasara Said:

[...]Finally, you can visit the site at the link below where volunteers have written drivers for a lot of printers which are no longer supported. You may find one there which works.[...]

———-


Keep Off of Third-Party Sites:

I highly-recommend not using third-party sites for drives. It is unsafe and unwise to use them, as you may end up getting malware or spyware installed.

printer work around

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