Mac OS X: Application unexpectedly quits when printing to a shared printer

Products Affected

Mac OS Printing/Fax (any version), Mac OS X 10.2, Mac OS X 10.3, Mac OS X 10.4, Mac OS X 10.5

Symptoms

If an application you print from unexpectedly quits (or "crashes") when you print to a shared printer, the two computers involved may have different versions of the printer's driver installed.

Resolution

Make sure that all computers that use the shared printer, and the computer that hosts the shared printer, are using the same version of the printer driver--preferably the latest available version. You can usually download the latest printer driver from the printer manufacturer's website.

In Mac OS X 10.5.2 or later, the latest printer driver version may be available through Software Update. Compare the driver version received though Software Update to the version available for download from the printer manufacturer's website, to determine which is the latest version.

Tip: To see what version of raster (inkjet) printer driver is installed, follow these steps:

Mac OS X 10.5 or later

  1. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
  2. From the View menu, choose Print & Fax.
  3. Select the printer in the list of printers.
  4. Click the Options & Supplies button.
  5. Click on the General tab.

The current driver in use appears under Driver Version.

Mac OS X 10.3 - 10.4.11

  1. Open Printer Setup Utility (/Applications/Utilities).
  2. Select the printer in the Printer List.
  3. From the Printers menu, choose Show Info.

The current driver in use appears under Driver Version. Note: If nothing appears under Driver Version in Mac OS X 10.3.x, the printer is probably a PostScript-based printer.

Additional Information

See also Troubleshooting printing issues in Mac OS X.

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