Drivers for C5225 printer, for Mac

[DJ-ATL1]

Hi, we have an HPC5225 A3 printer. Can anyone tell me where I can get the correct drivers to use with a Mac please? When I go to the product page on the HP website it only gives options for Windows operating system?

We have had this problem before, and were able to fix it using an app called HP Utility, however that does not appear to be available anymore.

The drivers built into OSX will only allow us to print on A4 and a couple of other formats, not A3. Any help will be much appreciated.

[Samrit26 · Accepted solution]

Hello,

I know exactly what you’re running into — this is a Mac + legacy HP enterprise printer problem, not something you’re missing on the website.

I’ll explain why the drivers are gone, why macOS only shows A4, and what actually still works today.

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First: why you can’t find Mac drivers anymore

Your HP C5225 A3 printer is from the era of full-feature PPD drivers and HP Utility.

Two major things changed:

1. HP Utility was deprecated by Apple

   • Apple removed support for HP Utility and classic PPD workflows

   • HP stopped publishing macOS-specific drivers for many older models

2. macOS moved to driverless printing

   • AirPrint / IPP Everywhere

   • Generic PostScript / PCL

   • No vendor UI like HP Utility

So HP is not “hiding” the drivers — they no longer exist for modern macOS.

That’s why the product page only shows Windows.

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Why macOS only offers A4 (root cause)

This is the key technical point:

• macOS driverless printing only exposes paper sizes that the printer advertises via IPP

• Older HP enterprise printers do not advertise A3 correctly over IPP

• Without a proper PPD, macOS assumes:

  • A4

  • Letter

  • A few generic sizes

So the printer can print A3, but macOS doesn’t know how to ask it to.

This is not a printer fault.

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What does NOT work anymore (important)

• ❌ HP Utility (obsolete)

• ❌ macOS built-in HP drivers (removed by Apple)

• ❌ Downloading random PPDs (blocked by modern macOS security)

• ❌ AirPrint (almost always A4-limited on legacy models)

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What DOES still work (supported workaround)

✅ Option 1 – Generic PostScript driver (best chance for A3)

If your C5225 supports PostScript (many A3 units do):

1. System Settings → Printers & Scanners

2. Remove the existing printer

3. Click Add Printer

4. Select the printer

5. In “Use:”, choose:

   • Generic PostScript Printer

6. Add printer

Then:

• Open Print → Paper Size → Manage Custom Sizes

• Create a custom A3 size (297 × 420 mm)

• Print using that custom size

This often restores A3 even when the default list does not.

---

✅ Option 2 – Add printer via CUPS (advanced but reliable)

This bypasses Apple’s simplified UI.

1. Open browser → http://localhost:631

2. Administration → Add Printer

3. Select the printer

4. When asked for driver:

   • Choose Generic PCL or Generic PostScript

5. Complete setup

CUPS sometimes exposes more paper sizes than System Settings.

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✅ Option 3 – Network print via Windows (last resort but stable)

If A3 is business-critical:

• Share the printer from a Windows machine with full HP drivers

• Print to it from macOS as a shared printer

Not elegant — but very reliable.

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Why HP Utility “fixed it” before

HP Utility:

• Injected a full PPD

• Overrode paper-size restrictions

• Exposed tray and media settings directly

Once Apple removed support for it, that control path disappeared.

---

The honest mentor conclusion

For older HP A3 printers on modern macOS:

• There is no official HP Mac driver

• A3 support depends entirely on:

  • Generic PostScript/PCL

  • Custom paper sizes

  • CUPS behavior

This is an Apple platform change, not an HP support refusal.

[DJ-ATL1]

Thank you so much for your help, and taking the time to send such a comprehensive solution. It's very much appreciated.