Many users encounter challenges when trying to use older printers, which we might refer to as legacy Transfer Printers, with modern operating systems like macOS. Often, manufacturers cease to provide updated drivers for these devices, even if the hardware itself remains perfectly functional. This article outlines a practical solution discovered through experimentation to get these transfer printers working again on newer macOS versions when official driver support is lacking.
It’s important to understand how macOS manages printer drivers. Folders such as /Library/Printers/... might appear to be the location of active drivers. However, these directories are primarily repositories of available drivers that macOS can utilize to support various printers. They are not the drivers currently in use by your system. When you install a printer, the system searches these folders for compatible drivers.
The driver you select during the installation process is then copied to /etc/cups/ppd and renamed. This renaming is typically based on the printer name you assign during setup. It’s worth noting that the /etc folder is now symbolically linked to /private/etc in modern macOS versions.
Consider this example: a Xerox WorkCenter C2424, a type of transfer printer, was operational on an older Mac. Its driver file was located at /etc/cups/ppd/WorkCenter_C2424_93_93_1b_.ppd. This filename was automatically generated by the older system, likely based on the printer’s Ethernet address.
To get this printer working on a new Mac, the following steps were taken:
- The driver file, originally named
WorkCenter_C2424_93_93_1b_.ppd, was copied from the old Mac. - This file was placed into the
/Library/Printers/PPDs/Resources/Contentsfolder on the new Mac. - Crucially, the file was renamed to a more generic name:
Xerox_WorkCenter_C2424.ppd. This makes it easier to identify and select.
Next, the standard printer installation process was initiated via “System Preferences -> Printers & Scanners”. Instead of relying on automatic driver selection, the “Other…” option was chosen. This opens a file navigation window, allowing manual browsing to the /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources folder. The renamed driver file, Xerox_WorkCenter_C2424.ppd, was then selected.
By selecting this manually copied driver, macOS then performed the necessary actions: it copied the PPD file to the /etc/cups/ppd folder on the new Mac and renamed the copy according to the name assigned to the printer during the installation. You have the flexibility to name the printer as desired during this process.
Following these steps, thorough testing confirmed that all printer features were functioning correctly. This method successfully installed the driver on the new Mac, which was running Mojave in this instance.
While this technique proved effective for Mojave, the long-term compatibility, especially with macOS versions like Catalina and later, remains uncertain. Catalina introduced stricter rules regarding 32-bit code support, and very old transfer printer drivers might not be 64-bit compatible. This could pose a challenge for future macOS upgrades. However, for users currently facing driver incompatibility with older transfer printers, this manual installation method offers a viable workaround to extend the lifespan of their existing hardware.
