Imac doesnt recognise Brother printer

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Level 1

14 points

Imac doesnt recognise Brother printer

I just bought an Imac M3 and after installing my back up, everything worked (not seamlessly) but worked, including my Brother HL-L2310D printer.

Today, it doesnt print. I checked the USB connections through the external port, I had to purchase, everything working fine>

The printer setting show the printer is offline. When I hit the print button, the print icon on the dock appears then switches out.

I checked the file sharing settings and all checked for the printer.

Ok, looked to see if there was a Brother update.

I removed the printers from apple settings and then Reinstalled drivers for the machine, still nothing. Now its not even in the printer settings. I went to Add Printer and the printer is identified, I click on it but the ADD button remains greyed out.

Talked to Brother, who eventually suggested I download their Iprint & scan app, at which point the printer worked.

I am at a loss to understand why the Apple app will not recognise the printer. I am beginning to think I should reinstall the backup and start all over again. So any help will be gratefully received. Thanks

iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Jun 10, 2024 8:33 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Jan Hedlund

Level 7

24,547 points

Jun 10, 2024 12:38 PM in response to Vandestadt

Hi,

The HL-L2310D printer appears to have a macOS 14 Sonoma driver:

https://support.brother.com/g/b/downloadlist.aspx?c=eu_ot&lang=en&prod=hll2310d_us_eu_as&os=10080

Is this the one that you used, or possibly a driver for an earlier macOS version?

There is also a recent printer firmware update 18/04/2024 (1.36) available.

>I checked the file sharing settings and all checked for the printer.

Does this mean that the USB printer in fact is connected to a(nother) Mac sharing the printer on a network?

Share your printer on Mac – Apple Support (UK)

If so, please provide details.

If necessary, try resetting the printing system and re-adding the printer.

Reset the printing system on your Mac to solve a problem – Apple Support (UK)

Add a printer to your printer list so you can use it on Mac – Apple Support (UK)

As always, make sure that you have backup copies of all important files before testing anything.

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Answer 2

hcsitas

Level 6

13,970 points

Jun 10, 2024 12:55 PM in response to Jan Hedlund

That Sonoma driver has a release date of 2/10/19. The firmware upgrade is not for firmware but a utility to check for firmware updates.

We’ve been through this before, haven’t we? Just to refresh, Brother’s download site for macOS isn’t current. Replacing the printer is the only way to add a Brother printer from macOS Sonoma and it must be a current-model AirPrint printer.

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Answer 3

Jan Hedlund

Level 7

24,547 points

Jun 10, 2024 1:14 PM in response to hcsitas

>That Sonoma driver has a release date of 2/10/19.

It appears to be the same driver as for macOS 15 Catalina. The Catalina drivers have been known to work with some newer operating system versions as well. I assume that Brother had a reason for mentioning the driver under macOS 14 Sonoma, but you seem to be better informed...

>The firmware upgrade is not for firmware but a utility to check for firmware updates.

Please click on the link and read:

Update History

18/04/2024 Main: 1.36

Improvement to help with the performance of the machine.

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Answer 4

hcsitas

Level 6

13,970 points

Jun 10, 2024 1:17 PM in response to Jan Hedlund

Yes, I’ve actually dumped my HL-2270 and replaced it with the 2350 for exactly the same reason. The “Update History” is for the firmware update check utility i.e. n/a. Trust me, I’ve been through this path - replacement is the only way forward.

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