The printer works on Mac and Windows, but it's a little quirky to get working through no fault of the printer. On the mac you have to manually set it up as Epson 9 pin, which uses the cups drivers (from linux). For windows, it includes a driver disk. You then need to set the highest resolution in the printer settings advanced options. I had no problem getting it printing on the mac, but found if I printed directly from chrome, the quality was terrible..not readable. If I printed directly from a web browser on windows, the print was garbed and page size completely wrong, even WORSE than on the mac.
This has nothing to do with the printer and everything to do with the applications.
Saving an image to the desktop and printing with the system dialog showed much better quality for both mac and windows.
Printing plain text directly to the printer (bypassing the device) using lp -o raw filename.txt shows that the print quality is actually very good.
Printing from applications such as notepad or textedit worked fine and the text was crisp and clear.
So there are some issues with some applications which prevent it from printing as well as it could. To be fair it's not claimed to be supported on the mac, so I am happy just to be able to print to it. I print a lot of code, manuals, etc and don't want to waste toner on my laser printer for temporary printouts.
For printing large amounts of data cheaply which doesn't need to look pretty you can't beat a dot matrix.
Attached is a photo of raw text printing using lp -o raw filename.txt and also a photo of the same text formatted by the print driver using lp filename.txt.
You can see the raw print is much smaller and sharper.
One other issue is that you cannot print PDF labels correctly because the bar codes are unreadable. This is the fault of the CUPS driver, which seems to be trying to print greyscale by dithering even when the image is monochrome. I've tried converting the image to black and white (1 bit) TIFF, and still when I print, the bars are dithered and not solid. This is pretty frustrating because it's the only thing holding this printer back from being my daily driver printer. If I could just print labels correctly I'd safe myself a ton on Laserjet cartridges. The printer has the resolution but the cups drivers (in this case Apple's version) prevents it from working correctly.
Tested in MacOS High Sierra, Catalina, Big Sur, and Windows 7.
Add to your order
-
Coverage for accidental damage including drops, spills, and broken parts, as well as breakdowns (plans vary) -
24/7 support when you need it. -
Quick, easy, and frustration-free claims.
Cover this product:
3-Year Protection $33.99
4-Year Protection $44.99
Cover all of your eligible devices:
Asurion Complete Protect: One plan covers all eligible past and future purchases (Renews Monthly Until Cancelled) $16.99/month
Select a plan
Add to your order
- Coverage for accidental damage including drops, spills, and broken parts, as well as breakdowns (plans vary)
- 24/7 support when you need it.
- Quick, easy, and frustration-free claims.
Cover this product:
Select a plan
Frequently bought together
$219.37
Get it May 1 - 3
Only 3 left in stock - order soon.
+
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Choose items to buy together.
Similar items that may ship from close to you
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Climate Pledge FriendlyProducts with trusted sustainability certification(s). Learn morePRODUCT CERTIFICATION (1)
ECOLOGO certified products meet standards that can reduce the environmental impact of one or more stages of the product lifecycle.
Reviews with images
Works great, and works on Mac, but CUPS driver sucks
The printer works on Mac and Windows, but it's a little quirky to get working through no fault of the printer. On the mac you have to manually set it up as Epson 9 pin, which uses the cups drivers (from linux). For windows, it includes a driver disk. You then need to set the highest resolution in the printer settings advanced options. I had no problem getting it printing on the mac, but found if I printed directly from chrome, the quality was terrible..not readable. If I printed directly from a web browser on windows, the print was garbed and page size completely wrong, even WORSE than on the mac.This has nothing to do with the printer and everything to do with the applications.Saving an image to the desktop and printing with the system dialog showed much better quality for both mac and windows.Printing plain text directly to the printer (bypassing the device) using lp -o raw filename.txt shows that the print quality is actually very good.Printing from applications such as notepad or textedit worked fine and the text was crisp and clear.So there are some issues with some applications which prevent it from printing as well as it could. To be fair it's not claimed to be supported on the mac, so I am happy just to be able to print to it. I print a lot of code, manuals, etc and don't want to waste toner on my laser printer for temporary printouts.For printing large amounts of data cheaply which doesn't need to look pretty you can't beat a dot matrix.Attached is a photo of raw text printing using lp -o raw filename.txt and also a photo of the same text formatted by the print driver using lp filename.txt.You can see the raw print is much smaller and sharper.One other issue is that you cannot print PDF labels correctly because the bar codes are unreadable. This is the fault of the CUPS driver, which seems to be trying to print greyscale by dithering even when the image is monochrome. I've tried converting the image to black and white (1 bit) TIFF, and still when I print, the bars are dithered and not solid. This is pretty frustrating because it's the only thing holding this printer back from being my daily driver printer. If I could just print labels correctly I'd safe myself a ton on Laserjet cartridges. The printer has the resolution but the cups drivers (in this case Apple's version) prevents it from working correctly.Tested in MacOS High Sierra, Catalina, Big Sur, and Windows 7.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2020
This has nothing to do with the printer and everything to do with the applications.
Saving an image to the desktop and printing with the system dialog showed much better quality for both mac and windows.
Printing plain text directly to the printer (bypassing the device) using lp -o raw filename.txt shows that the print quality is actually very good.
Printing from applications such as notepad or textedit worked fine and the text was crisp and clear.
So there are some issues with some applications which prevent it from printing as well as it could. To be fair it's not claimed to be supported on the mac, so I am happy just to be able to print to it. I print a lot of code, manuals, etc and don't want to waste toner on my laser printer for temporary printouts.
For printing large amounts of data cheaply which doesn't need to look pretty you can't beat a dot matrix.
Attached is a photo of raw text printing using lp -o raw filename.txt and also a photo of the same text formatted by the print driver using lp filename.txt.
You can see the raw print is much smaller and sharper.
One other issue is that you cannot print PDF labels correctly because the bar codes are unreadable. This is the fault of the CUPS driver, which seems to be trying to print greyscale by dithering even when the image is monochrome. I've tried converting the image to black and white (1 bit) TIFF, and still when I print, the bars are dithered and not solid. This is pretty frustrating because it's the only thing holding this printer back from being my daily driver printer. If I could just print labels correctly I'd safe myself a ton on Laserjet cartridges. The printer has the resolution but the cups drivers (in this case Apple's version) prevents it from working correctly.
Tested in MacOS High Sierra, Catalina, Big Sur, and Windows 7.
Style: PrinterVerified Purchase
Works great, and works on Mac, but CUPS driver sucks
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2020
The printer works on Mac and Windows, but it's a little quirky to get working through no fault of the printer. On the mac you have to manually set it up as Epson 9 pin, which uses the cups drivers (from linux). For windows, it includes a driver disk. You then need to set the highest resolution in the printer settings advanced options. I had no problem getting it printing on the mac, but found if I printed directly from chrome, the quality was terrible..not readable. If I printed directly from a web browser on windows, the print was garbed and page size completely wrong, even WORSE than on the mac.Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2020
This has nothing to do with the printer and everything to do with the applications.
Saving an image to the desktop and printing with the system dialog showed much better quality for both mac and windows.
Printing plain text directly to the printer (bypassing the device) using lp -o raw filename.txt shows that the print quality is actually very good.
Printing from applications such as notepad or textedit worked fine and the text was crisp and clear.
So there are some issues with some applications which prevent it from printing as well as it could. To be fair it's not claimed to be supported on the mac, so I am happy just to be able to print to it. I print a lot of code, manuals, etc and don't want to waste toner on my laser printer for temporary printouts.
For printing large amounts of data cheaply which doesn't need to look pretty you can't beat a dot matrix.
Attached is a photo of raw text printing using lp -o raw filename.txt and also a photo of the same text formatted by the print driver using lp filename.txt.
You can see the raw print is much smaller and sharper.
One other issue is that you cannot print PDF labels correctly because the bar codes are unreadable. This is the fault of the CUPS driver, which seems to be trying to print greyscale by dithering even when the image is monochrome. I've tried converting the image to black and white (1 bit) TIFF, and still when I print, the bars are dithered and not solid. This is pretty frustrating because it's the only thing holding this printer back from being my daily driver printer. If I could just print labels correctly I'd safe myself a ton on Laserjet cartridges. The printer has the resolution but the cups drivers (in this case Apple's version) prevents it from working correctly.
Tested in MacOS High Sierra, Catalina, Big Sur, and Windows 7.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2019
Style: PrinterVerified Purchase
I purchased this printer to fill out carbon copy preprinted work orders for my automotive shop. I have never had a problem with it. Ink ribbon is very easy to change, and it's also very easy to load paper.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2018
Style: PrinterVerified Purchase
Dot matrix printer yay! Free at last!
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2018
For the money, for a 9-pin, the print quality is fine. I've been using inkjet printers for years and years and always hated them. The expensive ink cartridges that never last and dry up drove me crazy. So nice to have a ribbon printer again. I feel liberated by this little dot matrix printer. See the video I uploaded. The tractor feed mechanism is fine. Seems to be a good little printer.
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2018
Images in this review
