Printing from OS X to a LaserJet 1010 shared through a Windows PC

I thought setting up the PowerBook was going too well. Setting it up to print has been something of a nightmare process, with a resolution which was something of an anticlimax - by the time I stumbled across the solution I’d resigned myself to having to compile drivers or something similar at the very least, so that fact that it didn’t involve strings of Unix commands that resemble Czech was a both a relief and a bit of a let down.

Anyway, because there’s bugger-all on Google about this, here goes with the solution.

The scenario is a PowerBook running OS X Panther, talking via an Airport Extreme to a Windows XP box with a LaserJet 1010 attached via USB. The printer is set up using the bog-standard comes-on-a-CD drivers, and shared using the default WinXP sharing wizard.

Now go to the PowerBook, fire up the browser of your choice and surf over to LinuxPrinting.org. In the left hand menu bar there is a link for Mac OS X - click this to take you through to the Mac OS X printing page. Third link down is for the HPIJS. Download and install the Ghostscript package, then go back and do the same for the hpijs-foomatic package.

Now fire up the Printer Setup Utility, and add a new printer in the normal way. The dropdown list of drivers includes a heading for HP - select this, and scroll down to the ‘HP LaserJet 1010 Foomatic/hpijs recommended’ option, and add it. Load printer with paper, select document, and print away merrily.

Not too difficult a process - the hard part was spending the best part of two days Googling for the solution. A gentle suggestion to both Apple and HP - put the damn instructions on your damn websites, and better still, package it up so normal people aren’t sent running for the hills by the sight of the word ‘Linux’.

Filed under Geek |