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User profile for user: Suzq
Suzq Author
User level: Level 1
15 points

Getting a new HP printer to work via USB with a 2012 iMac running High Sierra 10.13.6

I'm having an issue getting a HP Envy Photo 7155 printer to work with an older iMac, running High Sierra 10.13.6. I hunted to find a printer that would work with this operating system and that had a USB port so it could be connected to her computer, rather than via WiFi. (She lives in an assisted living community with a shared WiFi that is not steady).


But --- when I hooked the printer up via USB 2.0 cable, it would only print in black and white (the print menu showed black and white, and there was no other choice. I called Apple Support, but they were not able to help. Ultimately, the support guy was stumped said to call HP support. I tried that, very unsuccessfully -- I could never connect to a real person.



So next try -- I connected the printer via WiFi and I chose to not allow the printer to be on the network. It worked beautifully -- colors printed, we had the normal default Mac print menu and we could change selections (including changing from color to black and white). Yipee! But, the printer keeps losing connection with the computer (probably due to the WiFi irregularities). The only way we can get it to work when this happens, is to restart the computer. And apparently it is happening quite often. : ( So, my dear mother (90 years old by the way and using the computer daily!) - is frequently having to restart her slow computer in order to print anything.


Has anyone had this problem? Is it because her iMac is so old? I just can't imagine why the WiFi connection works to print color, but the USB connection doesn't. Her computer, while old, seems to be working perfectly otherwise. I'd like to get it connected via USB - but she needs to be able to print color. There may have been other features unavailable on the print screen, as well -- I didn't fully check it out.


Sorry this is so long ... but I figure the more information the better the possible solution. Thank you for any ideas or solutions you might have!

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Aug 11, 2021 9:38 AM

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User profile for user: BDAqua
BDAqua
User level: Level 10
245,639 points

Aug 11, 2021 10:22 AM in response to Suzq

Might pay to download the driver, but yes, every brand & sometimes the model, will show different choices in different places.


Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup).

Any devices that previously appeared in your Printer List and Fax List will need to be added again after resetting the printing system.

Resetting the printing system in Mac OS X

  1. To use the Reset Printing System feature in Mac OS X, follow these steps:
  2. Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu.
  3. Choose Print & Fax from the View menu.
  4. Control-click on list of printers on the left side of the window, then choose "Reset printing system" from the contextual menu. If you don't see a list of printers, Control-click on the text "Click + to add a printer or fax" and select "Reset printing system..."   
  5. As an alternative, if you currently have one or more printers listed, you can Option-click the "-" (Remove printer) button.


http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1341

Reboot.

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User profile for user: Suzq
Suzq Author
User level: Level 1
15 points

Aug 11, 2021 10:15 AM in response to BDAqua

When I connected the printer, I went to "printers and scanners" in Systems Preference, and it automatically detected the HP printer -- which I then added. I deleted the old printer. I did not download the driver from HP, since the iMac had shown it as a selection choice. Should I download the driver from HP through your link, and reselect the printer in systems preferences?


The print screen you show is different than the one that came up on her printer. But, where you could normally toggle between color and black and white -- it only showed black and white, and there was no toggle.


Thank you for your quick response. I won't be going to her place for a few days -- but hope to have some ideas to try when I go back over. We were also disappointed that Apple's Image Capture program (that she uses a great deal to scan photos) did not see her new printer. But that's a whole other problem.



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Getting a new HP printer to work via USB with a 2012 iMac running High Sierra 10.13.6

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