Mac - HP Color LaserJet CP1217

[mattwarnes]

There are no drivers available for OSX and The HP Color LaserJet CP1217 on the HP site -  are there drivers available anywhere else or should I just return the printer to where I bought it and go for an alternative brand?

[smario]

Hi there,

I also have the same problem. I just purchased the printer tonight and have successfully installed the software and drivers on my PC. However, no joy with the Macbook. Are new drivers on the horizon or is there a work around?

For example I am going to setup the printer wirelessly but will this make a difference?

Any help would be gratefully appreciated and apologies Matt for piggybacking your thread. 

[STaylor]

Hey,

The 1210 series isn't supported on Mac.  You need the 1510 series.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01488294&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&product=3835615

Steve

[MikeH]

Hmm, Rather annoyingly I have the same problem.  Perhaps HP and / or their dealers should make it clear on the box that this printer doesn't work with Macs so that you can return it before you throw the box away !  I wasted £150 plus another 60 quid on a wireless upgrade dongle that doesn't work with either the mac or the CP1217.

Maybe I should've bought the Samsung version after all ? 

[smario]

Been in touch with HP. They have told me that they are currently working on a driver for the mac. Two months turn around time was given. 

[angry_mac_man]

Please can anyone help me?

It has been 2 months since "smario" said that HP'd have a mac driver ready. Can anyone confirm if this is the case? 

I have been checking constantly for updates on this story, and when I rang HP Customer Services I was told the obvious: that there is no support for the CP1217 on OSX, which judging by the long hold was based on the operator doing the same search for drivers we have all pained ourselves with on the HP website.

But when I asked if there would ever be any support for Mac with this printer, he continued to just say "There is no Mac OSX support for the CP1217". I then asked if he understood my question as he was talking in the present tense, not about the future potential of any support.

I was then told that I need to buy the 15 series which wasn't very helpful at all, as all my cash has been spent on the CP1217 which has now become a very expensive Desk ornament to me.

I can not believe that such a high profile company would release a printer with no clear warning on the box that it is not compatible with Mac OSX. Please can somebody tell me whether there is going to be support in the shape of a mac driver. If so, that would be most incredibly marvelous.

[smario]

I don't know if this is helpful or not but I have installed VM fusion to run windows XP in conjunction with Mac OSX. I have had a quick look at fusion's tutorials and they state that you can use XP drivers seamlessly in the background for peripherals. I have installed the software I am learning as I am going along. It is actually very nice - you can run XP programs just as if they were OSX programs. I will test the drivers soon and post an update.

However, I still expect HP to sort this out. I do not protest to be an expert but how hard is it really?

[neilmacadam]

There arnt any drivers for the CP1217 for MAC, however I have managed to get around it by installing Parallels for MAC which is effectively a Windows OS that you can run on MAC then downloading the PC driver from the HP website, installing it and printing from Parallels. It defeats the object of having a MAC somewhat I know, but it does allow you to use your MAC and wireless network with the HP CP1217. Hope this helps. Of course HP could always release a driver for OSX, that would be nice and probably only take them a short while to do!!

[angry_mac_man]

thanks smario and Neil,

The above solutions are not really good enough for me. Having shelled out the cash for the printer I shouldn't have to spend any more money on an application and a windows OS that i do not want to use.

Also, I work in design, and to print the documents that i want to print, I would have to buy the design software again for the windows OS in order to open those files.

I just want to be able to click print!!!

What kind of Product Management team would put a product to market that does not offer driver support to the millions of mac users on the market?

The most annoying thing is that there was no indication on the box or in store that this product would not work with Mac OS X. 

[angry_mac_man]

I just found this after a little more digging: 

http://ryan.bigwoofs.com/2008/12/getting-an-hp-color-laserjet-cp1215-working-on-a-mac/

If other people can make their own alternative driver, then where is our HP driver?!