How to print in Mac OS X v10.5 or earlier

Learn the basics of how to print in Mac OS X 10.5 and earlier.

Note: If you use Mac OS X v10.6 or later, see this article instead.

This article has been archived and is no longer updated by Apple.

Adding a printer

Before you can use a printer, it must be added. See this article for information about connecting the printer, and this article for information about adding the printer in Mac OS X.

You should also use Software Update to get the latest available updates available for your version of Mac OS X.

Mac OS X comes with software that lets you use most printers. To find a list of inkjet and laser printers that you can use with Mac OS X, see Mac OS X: Included printer drivers. You may need to install additional software to add your printer to the Printer List depending on which printer you use.

Adjusting page setup

Before you print a document, you may want to change the paper size, scale, or image orientation. To do this, choose Page Setup from the File menu in the application you'll print from, then choose Page Attributes from the Settings pop-up menu.

To print

  • Choose Print from the File menu
    or
  • Press the Command-P key combination

A print dialog appears in which you can adjust settings or preview before printing. If your printer has features that aren't in the Print dialog, see this article.

Last Modified: