10.6.1 doesn't detect usb printer properly

Question

I have a Samsung SCX-4300 printer in my office connected to my MacBook running Snow Leopard (clean install, and upgraded to 10.6.1 right after setting up the system). When I tried to add the printer in System Preferences, the printer does not show up at all, even though the printer is on and connected, and clearly shows up under the USB tab in System Profile. I have tried resetting the printing system in System Preferences, fixing disk permissions both from within the system and from the installation DVD (incidentally, the permissions never seem to get fixed - even when the log says that they are fixed, when I run verification immediately after, the permissions are still broken), and zapping pram, but nothing works. Furthermore, I also have an HP F4280 all-in-one back at home, and the same MacBook only detects the printing function, but not the scanning function (no scan tab in printer preferences). Both the Samsung SCX-4300 and HP F4280 have drivers either supplied with Snow Leopard, or downloadable from Software Update.
Message was edited by: piatigorsky

Answer 1

piatigorsky,
I can help with the HP, but not the Samsung since I don't know anything about it. There is a known issue with the Print queue potentially showing the Print and not the Scan tabs for devices with In-OS drivers. The work around seems to be to delete and re-add the print queue, this should cause the right association with the scanner to occur.
Given the clean install nature of Snow Leopard (as apposed to the default upgrade install) I am surprised by the problems you are having.
A couple of notes:
1) A full installer for the HP device is available from [here|http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=al- 74802-1&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&lang=en&os=219&product=3390949]. This will give you an HP Scan application. It may help to track down the Scan problems with the In-OS drivers. It does not however contain the In-OS drivers.
2) A good document from HP on configuring your printer can be found [here|http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?docname=c01846935&lc=en&dlc=e n&cc=us&lang=en&os=219&product=3390949].
3) A great document on setting up the device for using the In-OS Print and Scan drivers from Apple can be found [here|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3771].
4) Finally a generic document on Print and Scan drivers from Apple can be found [here|http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669]. And it states that your Samsung drivers should be In-OS as well.
Note one other thing you may want to try, if you've Reset your printing system, and your computer (restart) is to actually restart the device. This may help get the Samsung recognized.
Just trying to help.
Andrew