# Trouble Updating Mac OS with DTG



## Wags (Jan 28, 2007)

Well, here we are again. I thought we finally had everything in sync and knew the HM1 had maintenance issues. No problem, we can handle that. Then came the fateful day. We are Mac based here and print across a network. I decided to update our Mac OS to the new Leopard 10.5. I usually wait for at least 6 months before jumping on a new OS. This time I was enticed by the new look and feel. Upon installing I found the DTG RIP missing from my printers list. I tried to reinstall the printer but to no avail. I called tech support and was told someone would have to call me back that knew more about Macs. Waiting....waiting....no call. I call back and we go thru some routine fixes. Download the newest driver from Epson, install and try again. Nope, did not fix it. More calls....more waiting for a return call. I even called the software people but did not get anything resolved. More calls, more trying different things. Checked the printer setup at the PC RIP. It is ok. We even went to another Mac running the older OS 10.4. This Mac had never been set up for printing to the DTG. Downloaded the correct driver and tried to set it up. Well, it looks okay at the print menu. Print and I get an error message that it has failed. More calls...more waiting on a call back. I even email the salesman since it has been 2 weeks that we have been down. I have managers calling me but still no answer. Everyone wants to blame the new OS but why can't we print to the DTG from the older OS like we did before. I can see all my other printers on my network and print to them just like before. I still suspect the DTG RIP or the workgroup set up is to blame even though we changed nothing there. 

We tried, upon the suggestion of Don, to sneaker net the file over to the RIP. In other words we print a postscript file to a thumb drive and print from the RIP. Well that worked but we can get it to print white from the file. We set it up just like we would if we were printing direct but it will only print color no white. I have called in again but I have been waiting on a call back for at least 2 hours now. I guess I will have to tell my customers I cannot produce their shirts and slowly go out of the T-Shirt business. I know many do not use Macs with these machines but that is no reason to not receive help or a timely answer. We are pretty good at working thru problems by ourselves but in this instance we need some insight. We may not be seeing something that is simple and another perspective might find it right away. But when everyone just throws their hands up and can't find the time to call back, can you blame me for being frustrated.

I feel 2 weeks to resolve a problem is just too long a time. I didn't mean for this to be a ***** session, only a warning to any Mac users to hold off upgrading to the new Leopard 10.5 OS until Apple gets their bugs worked out and Epson and all the other printer makers can catch up with print drivers that actually work. Now for all you PC users that are thinking of upgrading to Vista...................


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

I had issues when I installed my rip because I have vista, but thankfully someone here helped me and I was able to fix it. Have you tried reinstalling the rip, and then the print driver?With mine I had to do a totally clean install for it to work, but I also needed the upgraded version of the rip because they had given me a version that was not upgraded to work with vista. Unfortunately though that is what happens with new OS's, I have issues with almost everything I install having vista. I wish I still had XP  

When I did a clean install I deleted everything from my system and started over. Making sure to power off everything once I deleted and again once I reinstalled.


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## tpope (Oct 3, 2007)

I hear ya Wags. I feel your pain. I went thru a birthing process with my G3 running 10.3.9 OS. I would suggest that you run disk utility and repair permissions. (Please do remember that I am running an older OS and things do change!) The underlaying Unix language can give problems in the permissions areas.
I had severe install problems with OS X and my t-jet running 10.3.9. A shareware program helped me in my quest.
Here's a link...
Fixamac Software Products
I had to run my disk utility as root. Run Printer Setup Repair. I removed ALL the old print spoolers and temp files. Then I used an open source code GIMP print from...
Gutenprint for Mac OS X

Read and follow the links on that last page.

I reinstalled from root my printer and it worked for all users! I make it sound simple here. I spent better than 6 hours making it happen. 

I hope that I have helped you. Please share you solution. Be brave and go where microsoft fears to tread!


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## JeridHill (Feb 8, 2006)

Try these variations:

If you have the PPD for the Mac, find the printer in your print and faxes on the PC and share it. Then on the Mac, set up a new printer and look for the new printer in the Windows tab. Add the printer, rename it and use the PPD you have for the Mac. When you go to print, it should drop it directly onto the PC version bypassing any issues you had with the Mac.

If that doesn't work, you can try finding the hot folder the RIP uses and share it. Then on the Mac, every time you go to print, use the printer you set up with the correct PPD and do all the changes you need. When you go to print, instead, use save as Postscript file and save it to your shared hot folder. Or you can save it to the desktop and drag and drop onto the shared hot folder.


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## Attitudes (Oct 3, 2007)

Wags,
First question first,
are you using a PPC or an Intel chip on your Mac?
What machine/mhz are you using?

Don


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## Wags (Jan 28, 2007)

It is a Power Mac not Intel. And I'm not sure what the Mghz has to do with anything since we are running several Macs with different configurations and clock speeds. 

We have found a work around with the help of Don at SWF. We basically drop the Postscript file into the Hot Folder on the RIP PC. While this allows us to print it still does not answer the question of why we cannot get the 10.4 OS which we were using before the upgrade to see the PC RIP. I'm sure it is a combination of PC (namely XP) and the Mac OS not talking to one another. I'm also sure it is something simple but at the moment neither I nor the DTG people can see the forest for the trees.

I will continue to look into this and will post when we have a definite answer.


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## Don-ColDesi (Oct 18, 2006)

I would like the opportunity to do a little damage control here before this snowballs too much. Firstly, I apologize for the delay in getting back to Ken regarding this issue. We simply did not have any answers to his network problems and had done all we could in terms of the products we sold to him. The RIP software and the PPD do still continue to work, the network does not nor does the Leopard software for print sharing - Leopard is riddled with bugs in the CUPS (Cooperative Unix Printing System) which is critical to printing across a network. 

Please, before you update operating systems (especially on a network) - whethter Mac or Windows, make certain that you have all the critical connection information recorded so that you can set the new system up like the older, working system was. Unfortunately, this was not done in this case and the person in charge of the network cannot reproduce the prior configuration to allow printing across the network. The RIP product still works as it is supposed to - however, if there is no bridge to cross, it cannot send information to the print server. I am hopeful that these nice folks can get their network issues resolved and back to printing as soon as possible.

I hope this helps to clarify things.


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## Wags (Jan 28, 2007)

My issue was with no one returning my calls even to tell me there was no answers. I can understand not being able to see across a phone line and see what the problem is with the system. But, the real issue is why can't we see the RIP when nothing was changed on the RIP. We did have another workstation running the older OS that had never been set up to print to the DTG HM1 but we cannot get it to print to the RIP. You would think that throws the Leopard install out of the equation entirely since we are not trying to print from those workstations and a OS install on a Mac will not jump across the network and effect the Windows machine.

I still feel the issue lies with something in the Windows XP RIP. Something has changed to make it invisible to our Mac. What happened? I don't know. I'm no networking expert but I do know none of our other printers on the network is having this problem. One of them, a large format inkjet, is running on a Windows RIP as well and the Mac OS 10.4 can see it just fine. That narrows it down to the DTG RIP and the Windows computer it is running on or something with the Mac PPD. And before anyone asks, I can see my file server over the network on the DTG RIP computer so seeing my network is not the problem. 

Don, from your response I feel like your team is giving up and dropping the ball in my court to, and I quote, "I am hopeful that these nice folks can get their network issues resolved and back to printing as soon as possible."

When I work on an issue I can usually work thru it but if not I call tech support to get a fresh set of eyes on the problem. I'm sure many others that have bought these printers rely on tech support from your company to help them over the rough spots. I also know there are many more Windows users out there that Mac but when I call for support and say I am on a Mac I feel a wall goes up. When I bought this system I expected the same support from SWF as any other user. 

I am pretty patient but when we go two weeks with no answers or I have to call back to see if anyone is still thinking about the issue I tend to feel abandoned. Perhaps my customers will abandon me as well if I cannot produce their shirts on a timely basis.

I for one am not giving up just yet. I'm sure there is an answer out there, it is just eluding everyone right now.


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## Attitudes (Oct 3, 2007)

Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, 

*Wags,*


> And I'm not sure what the Mghz has to do with anything since we are running several Macs with different configurations and clock speeds.


I was looking for machine descriptions basically, different machine react differently to upgrades.
Right now the AL iMacs are having problems with the new upgrade.
_(To diagnose, you need information, information, information.)_
Try these, in order if you would:

Ok first, you still have admin. privileges, right?

Do all the files pertaining to the printing and networking,
have the correct permissions?
_(Right click to open packages if you have to)_

Did you repair permissions from the CD? Or the HD?
_(Issues with Keychain needing repairs.)_

Do you have any third party add ons? _(Issue with Safari 3’s networking)_

Have you reset the nvram? _(some network settings are stored there)_
Zapping the pram,
_(via keyboard keys *command*+*option*+*P*+*R* held down at boot until the startup tone repeats three times)_ ,
isn’t always as complete as doing it via open firmware.

To reset open firmware:
Boot up with *Command*+*option*+*O*+*F *keys held down together until you see the Open Firmware terminal screen.
Then enter these commands: (_*ENTER*_ means press enter key)

*reset-nvram (ENTER)
set-defaults (ENTER)
reset-all*

The last command will restart the Mac.
You will loose startup disc settings and some other nvram stored settings
But worth a try if it helps.
*X* key to boot will boot to OSX.

If none of these work you might have to force prebinding


*Don-SWF East,*


> the network does not nor does the Leopard software for print sharing - Leopard is riddled with bugs in the CUPS (Cooperative Unix Printing System) which is critical to printing across a network.


There is an AFP Performance bug on PPC’s
There were also changes made in Bonjour.

This might help if you haven't already updated.
http://www.apple.com/macosx/technology/bonjour.html
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/bonjourforwindows.html

*Wags,*
I’d love the directions on how your XP box was set up.
I could only get mine to work on Windows 2000.

Don

P.S. Unfortunately, 10.5 is creating a dark day for Apple.
I really expected an update from Apple this week. 
But I guess the engineers are still at work.


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## Don-ColDesi (Oct 18, 2006)

> Don, from your response I feel like your team is giving up and dropping the ball in my court


Ken,

We are not dropping the ball anywhere, we have gotten the RIP working as it is supposed to (a file ends up in the hotfolder, is processed and printed). The PPD is creating a postscript file that is being denied by your PC print server - so the PPD is working (as demonstrated by the fact that we can "print to file" and drop it into the hotfolder and print). The issue at hand is not a RIP Pro or DTG printer problem. It was initially a problem with the Leopard software and secondly a problem with a new computer added to the system (or re-purposed) that had the older Mac OS not being configured to see the PC with RIP Pro on it. The errors you are getting returned are network security errors - not RIP Pro errors or errors from the PPD. You and I walked through printing with the Mac to a file then taking that file to the PC with RIP Pro and copying it into the Hotfolder and the RIP found the file, processed it and printed it. The missing link here is the connection between the Mac and the PC. You stated in our discussion that when you looked at the PC from your Mac to try to set up the print sharing that the PC showed but was "grayed out". The issue did not exist until a new operating system was installed and then things went south. The Mac you are trying to print from now was not hooked up to print to the PC before and you yourself admitted that you do not remember how you configured the old Mac to print to the PC - that is a networking problem. 

My suggestion is that you have someone who is knowledgeable with configuring a Mac to PC print sharing network come in and properly setup the link between the two computers.

Again, I apologize for no one getting back to you the other day, we were exhausting all of our options trying to determine the problem and find a fix for it. We have not experienced anyone using Leopard (an it is not even "supported" by RIP Pro), nor do we do network support, but we were trying to get you back up and printing, becuase that is what we all want.

Take Care,


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## FredP (Jul 2, 2007)

Wags said:


> But, the real issue is why can't we see the RIP when nothing was changed on the RIP .................. and a OS install on a Mac will not jump across the network and effect the Windows machine.
> 
> I still feel the issue lies with something in the Windows XP RIP.


Wags,

I think you've been told this before but let me reiterate.

This is not a RIP problem. The RIP does NOT publish itself to the Mac, EVER. The Mac-to-PC connectivity is handled SOLELY by the operating systems (Mac OS and Windows). In a properly configured network you could actually uninstall the RIP completely and you would still be able to print from the Mac (the jobs would not actually print but the Mac wouldn't know that).
A PPD has NOTHING to do with networking. A PPD (PostScript Printer Description) simply contains the printer-specific print settings and related PostScript code. It is used by the print driver to display printing options to the user, that's all. If the PPDs did not work, they wouldn't work on Windows either and hundreds (indeed thousands) of people would be down right now... but you'd still be able to connect.

I say this not to pass the buck or defend our RIP, I say it so that you don't keep wasting your time blaming the RIP instead of fixing your networking problem.


Fred Padilla
iProof Systems, Inc.


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## JeridHill (Feb 8, 2006)

Wags, I've played around quite a bit with Leopard and XP/Vista. Feel free to contact me if you would like some troubleshooting tips or network setups. I've configured RIPs on PC's and have been able to get the Mac to print them over the network without issues.

Fred, does the RIP for the DTG printer have OS X PPD's?


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## Attitudes (Oct 3, 2007)

*JeridHill,*


> does the RIP for the DTG printer have OS X PPD's?


The version for the Flexi does.

*FredP,*


> A PPD has NOTHING to do with networking.


Didn’t realize that...
Then that means wags problems are in his “Print Center”?
Do they still call it that in 10.5?

Don


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## FredP (Jul 2, 2007)

JeridHill said:


> Fred, does the RIP for the DTG printer have OS X PPD's?


Yessir!

-- Fred


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