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Printing Problems with HP PageWide Pro 477

We have an HP PageWide Pro 477 in the office. It has a printing problem:


When you add the printer using its native driver, printing works perfectly.


BUT when you add the printer using AirPrint (Secure or no), when you print, you end up with lots of blank rectangles in place of characters. This happens on all sorts of random documents no matter the font. Even basic stuff using Helvetica.


But if you delete the printer and re-add using the real driver, it will printer normally.


Open and shut case? Well not so fast. Here is the REAL problem:


Where do you get the printer driver? It just showed up on some of my Macs. On others, no sign of it.


When you try to download it from HP, it makes you download a utility that sends you to a web page, which then makes you download ANOTHER utility from the App store, which then adds the printer using AirPrint. Its an absurd process and it doesn't actually get you to the printer's driver!


All Macs in question are on 10.15. I don't know how some of them got the driver. I can only assume it was in a driver bundle that got installed for some other printer, but I have no idea which.


The attached image is for a completely different printer, but it shows you what I'm talking about. If you add it by selecting its name, it works. If you select air print, it does not. But not all Macs have it by name.


iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Oct 4, 2021 5:23 AM

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Posted on Oct 4, 2021 5:38 PM

Hi,


It may not change anything in this case, but there is an HP Easy Admin tool for Mac that allows administrators to download drivers without a connected printer. If you need software from HP, and there is a problem with HP Easy Start or HP Smart, you may want to try this tool.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06164609


If you just want to test drivers for similar printers, the Dec 11, 2020 HP Printer Drivers v5.1 for macOS (https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1888?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US) package from Apple could perhaps be an alternative. Look for other suitable models (HP PageWide Pro 477 and HP Color LaserJet Pro M452 are not listed) in the Printer and scanner drivers for Mac - Apple Support article. Make sure that you have backup copies of all important files before any tests.


HP PageWide Pro 477dn MFP and 477dw MFP (as well as HP Color LaserJet Pro M452dn, M452dw, and M452nw) are mentioned in About AirPrint - Apple Support.


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

Add a printer on Mac - Apple Support

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5 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Oct 4, 2021 5:38 PM in response to l008com

Hi,


It may not change anything in this case, but there is an HP Easy Admin tool for Mac that allows administrators to download drivers without a connected printer. If you need software from HP, and there is a problem with HP Easy Start or HP Smart, you may want to try this tool.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06164609


If you just want to test drivers for similar printers, the Dec 11, 2020 HP Printer Drivers v5.1 for macOS (https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1888?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US) package from Apple could perhaps be an alternative. Look for other suitable models (HP PageWide Pro 477 and HP Color LaserJet Pro M452 are not listed) in the Printer and scanner drivers for Mac - Apple Support article. Make sure that you have backup copies of all important files before any tests.


HP PageWide Pro 477dn MFP and 477dw MFP (as well as HP Color LaserJet Pro M452dn, M452dw, and M452nw) are mentioned in About AirPrint - Apple Support.


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

Add a printer on Mac - Apple Support

Oct 5, 2021 4:50 PM in response to l008com

There are two folders I'd look into and take screenshots of before installing:


Users/Home/Library/Printers

Macintosh HD/Library/Printers/hp


The second folder has many subfolder in the hp folder so keep an eye on maybe these three, 2 in the hp folder:


Macintosh HD/Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources

Macintosh HD/Library/Printers/hp/Utilities

Macintosh HD/Library/Printers/hp/Profiles





Oct 5, 2021 1:54 AM in response to Jan Hedlund

The printer is listed in that Easy Admin tools. So hopefully what it downloaded is what I'm looking for. I'll have to check!


Meanwhile, is there a way to see which exact printer models I have drivers for without having to be plugged in to (or networked to) the actual printer?


In other words, I want to download the driver, install it, and see if it actually adds the driver for that printer, without actually being in the office and plugged in to the network.

Printing Problems with HP PageWide Pro 477

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