Mac OS X | Drivers | Printer | gimp-print

gimp-print - 4.2.5

Printer drivers for HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark

Download v 5.2.4

(File Size: 12.9M)

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All Time:	(4.5)
Version 4.2.5:	(5.0)
Selected Version:	4.2.5
Release Date:	2003-01-26
License:	Freeware
Downloads (version 4.2.5):	634
Downloads (all versions):	239,104

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Product Description:

The Gimp-Print printer drivers use the CUPS printing architecture built-in to Mac OS 10.2 Jaguar. All earlier versions of Mac OS do not contain CUPS and are therefore not compatible with the Gimp-Print drivers. Gimp-Print provides excellent drivers for many printers that are otherwise unsupported on Mac OS X (such as the epson 1520). Even for printers with available vendor-supplied drivers the Gimp-Print drivers often provide superior results. For a current list of printers supported by Gimp-Print visit this website: http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net/p_Supported_Printers.php3

What's new in this version:

Major Improvements:

The Epson Stylus Photo 950/960/PM-950C and 2100/2200 are now tuned. The 950 and 960 are fully tuned, while the 2100 and 2200 are fully tuned with Photographic Black ink. Matte Black ink on the 2100/2200, and dark yellow ink on the PM-950C, are not tuned at this point.

As a special note, all of these printers print especially fast at 360 DPI in Four Color Standard mode (in color, grayscale, and monochrome). For this reason, we recommend use of Four Color Standard for printing text and low-resolution graphics on plain paper with these printers.
Epson Stylus Photo printers with an automatic paper cutter option (the Stylus Photo 925, 950/960/PM-950C, and 2100/2200) now enable the cutter. This has received some testing, but has not been tested comprehensively.
The Epson Stylus Pro 5000 should now print correctly, although this is not yet tested.
The Epson Stylus Color 640 now prints properly in grayscale and monochrome at 720 DPI and above.
DESTDIR now works with 'make install' in the Gimp plugin directory (this is generally of interest only to packagers).
The user manual should now install correctly on all platforms.
The version of libtool used to build this release has been changed to 1.4.3. This enables the packaged source to compile correctly on a few architectures (this is generally of interest only to packagers).
Updates to the Debian packaging (this is of interest only to Debian packagers).
The Mac OS X installer package now automatically updates the PPD file for every existing Gimp-Print printer (queue) in Print Center.

Exceptions and Workarounds:

There have been a number of reports that printing to a Windows-hosted printer from Macintosh OS X results in only the first page of the job being printed (see bugs 668342 and 672692). In at least some cases, connecting the printer directly to the Macintosh results in correct prints. There is no known workaround short of connecting the printer directly to the Macintosh. Investigation is continuing on this problem.
There are longstanding reports of problems printing with certain USB-parallel adapters on Macintosh OS X. In particular, many users have reported problems with the Keyspan adapter; we recommend that users having problems try different brands of adapters, and avoid using USB hubs. Please check our web site (http://gimp-print.sourceforge.net/MacOSX.php3) for a link to a user feedback forum regarding these cables.
Mac OS X users who use the Epson Printer Utility (provided by Epson with their standard driver set) to check ink levels and perform maintenance tasks, such as head cleaning or head alignment, may encounter print job failures when attempting to print with the Gimp-Print driver after using the Epson utility. The cause for this failure is currently unknown, but the workaround is to completely power-cycle the printer, after which the Gimp-Print driver should again print normally. Another option is to disable the Epson Printer Utility.
The Mac OS X print dialog may offer an "Autoselect" option as the default media source (input slot) on some printers. This option may not be valid and can result in nothing being printed. The workaround is to choose a different setting (explicitly select the input slot you wish to use).
The new HP DesignJet drivers have not been fully tuned. In particular, there are reports that they print too light. This can be corrected with the Density adjustment (try 1.5~1.7 or thereabouts).
The list of compatible and potentially compatible Hewlett-Packard printers has been updated with the latest available information. If a particular printer does not work with the recommended driver, we recommend that you try other similar drivers, check the Feature Requests at http://sourceforge.net/tracker/?atid=101537&group_id=1537&func=browse, and if the printer is not listed please file a feature request (via the Submit New button).
Borderless (full-bleed) printing is not quite correct on the Epson Stylus Photo printers that support it (see bug 621668). Typically, the left or right margin is off by 1 mm or less, resulting in a very fine white strip on that edge. This will not be fixed in 4.2; it is expected to be fixed in 4.3 and beyond. There is no workaround other than trimming the page.
Many Canon printers do not print correctly at 720x360 DPI. The workaround is to use 360 or 720 DPI.

Operating System Requirements:

This product is designed to run on the following operating systems:

Mac OS X 10.3
Mac OS X 10.2

Additional Requirements:

Mac OS X 10.2 or higher

Editor's Notes:

Head to AllOSX's site for easy-to-follow installation instructions for this driver.

Feedback Summary:

Version 4.2.5:
Overall Rating:	(5.0)	Features:	(5.0)	Support:	(4.0)
Ease of Use:	(4.0)	Quality / Stability:	(4.0)	Price:	(5.0)

Key to Types of Feedback:

Reviews Reviews Troubleshooting Usage Tips Developer Notes Commentary Featured Reviews

HP970CS - No Duplex printing - Version: 5.2.4-rc1, 6/19/2009 06:30AM PST

NonEgo

Using HP 970 Cse printer with Mac OS X 10.5.7
Installed Gutenprint 5.2.4-rc1

Duplex printing does not work.

Al Maloney

Uninstalls Epson printers Bug - Version: 5.2.2, 11/20/2008 12:25PM PST

(2 of 2 users found this comment useful)

William Robinson

I've been using Gutenprint as the driver for my Epson 1160 ever since moving to OSX years ago. So I was happy to see the 5.2.2 update had gone golden. But once I installed it I was unhappy to find that it removed the contents of /usr/local/bin which is where the CUPS elements reside. I could no longer print to the 1160, until I downgraded back to Gp 5.0.2. I then tried upgrading to 5.22 again, keeping the /usr/local/bin window open; and sure enough the install process removed the elements again. This time I had first backed them up, and I was able to install them manually.

It was the Gutenprint Utility for Epson Inkjet Printers (which I used to print nozzel checks) that alerted me to the location of the missing files; other wise I wouldn't have had a clue where to look for them.

I'm pretty sure these file are not supposed to be removed, or that they should have been replaced with something newer.

Hopeful for Gutenprint's future - Version: 5.2.0beta4, 8/18/2008 04:23AM PST

(4 of 5 users found this comment useful)

donsl777--2008

I'm not a newbie, having owned over a dozen Macintosh computers since I bought my first MacPlus back in 1986. That being said, I'm nowhere near what I'd consider to be an expert user.

Gutenprint has never worked for my Epson Stylus Photo RX600. Despite carefully following the installation instructions, it just won't sing.

I realize that there are approximately a zillion different printers on the market, and it's very possible that Gutenprint will eventually work for my particular make and model. I think it's equally important to improve the installation functionality and GUI during installation in order to make Gutenprint the leader of this niche. Make it idiot proof.

[OS X 10.4.11 on 1.33 GHz PowerBook (PowerPC) G4; 1 GB SDRAM]