2 Printers knocked offline AGAIN with 27.0.1

If I were you I'd turn off automatic updates on your Macs and run a whole OS behind until you're sure that things work.

Nekchek817 wrote:

BTW - There is no way to give product feedback specifically on an OS...only the Mac Book Air. Wonder why?

For macOS issues: Feedback - macOS - Apple

if you want to discuss your printers, you will need to include the model. Check the printer firmware revisions, too.

I’m running Brother multi-function laser/LED printers, and preferably only models with AirPrint and IPP/IPPS. And yeah, even they can occasionally still have issues. Some are coming up on twenty years old, and are still printing.

Cheaper and feature-limited printers tend to be disposable, particularly those dependent on vendor drivers, and particularly best avoid host-based printers and GDI printers and ilk. Get AirPrint. Get IPP/IPPS. (Info)

As for macOS, I’m also usually waiting for the Apple .1 or .2 version of each major release before updating systems hat need to work; a quarter or so after the main release. That delay both so that Apple can find and fix bugs, and so that vendors can find and fix their drivers. Some printer vendors apparently aren’t running and testing with the Apple beta versions, either.

The “why?” questions are for Apple. Not us.

A very basic question: do you have VPN installed on your computer, even if you are not using it? If so, remove it completely.

It's not clear why printer manufacturers appear to lack inclination to update things.

It's abundantly clear. There is no money in it for them.

For printer manufacturers the race to the bottom ended long ago, with its predictable result: no one wins. With no money to be had once they sell a printer, many manufacturers went to proprietary ink cartridges (HP made it publicly known ink is a reliable, high margin source of revenue). If that doesn't work they simply discontinue the printer, sell new models, and the cycle repeats. The consumer puts up with it so there is no reason to change.

That wasn't good enough though, so they introduced the subscription model. All the popular manufacturers offer them. One day it might not be optional.

Apple was wise to exit that market decades ago. Meanwhile my 40 year old ImageWriters still work. They sold for about $1000 back then. I think I paid $3000 for one of their LaserWriters (four pages per minute!), but have since parted with it in favor of Brother printers. I use a Raspberry Pi as a print server. Everything still works, regardless of how many macOS updates or upgrades may come along.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Pretty much every update causes printer problems. It's not clear why printer manufacturers appear to lack inclination to update things. Perhaps, as John says, they simply don't care.

Host-based printers have been a quagmire, going back at least 30 years. Probably longer.

Printers offering standard interfaces (and particularly those offering AirPrint and the closely-related IPP/IPPS), don’t need those vendor drivers.

That avoids vendor driver issues too, leaving busted firmware and Apple driver issues as the remaining potential impediments to printing. And that breaks less often. And VPNs too, but — being a “pinky-promise” VPN skeptic — some of those might just mess with routing for giggles and profits, and not security.

Some printer vendors however, adore having product lines comprised of zillions of incompatible printers with zillions of printer interfaces with zillions of driver permutations, and with limited firmware features. Too many of these printers are built to be disposable.

The oldest Brother multi-function printer I deal with — no AirPrint, it’s just that old — just keeps printing, and it’s coming up on twenty years. Printing successfully from some very now-weird operating systems, too.

I’ve been grumbling about host-based and custom-interface printers since well before Y2K, but people still keep buying them, and here we are.

The people you should be contacting are HP and Rollo, not Apple. Apple publishes details of its OS updates months prior to their going to beta to give devs the time to update their apps, drivers, etc. If HP and Rollo haven't bothered to support their products by updating their drivers then my takeaway would be to avoid them in the future because they don't support their products.

This one?

https://www.rollo.com/product/rollo-wireless-printer/

That is all I was able to find after an admittedly brief search.

If an AirPrint printer stops working, the usual fixes are (in no particular order) restart the printer, restart the wireless router(s) / access point(s), restart the Mac.

As for the HP OfficeJet, HP made literally hundreds of printers with OfficeJet in their names, probably for the reasons I mentioned earlier. Exact model names matter. HP seems to be fond of convoluted model designations. One mismatched letter can mean the difference between AirPrint or not.

We are not apple, we are apple users. If you want to give this as feedback to apple please do so using this form

Product Feedback - Apple

This covers most of what can go wrong: AirPrint Troubleshooting - Apple Community

Nekchek817 wrote:

I do understand I am not talking to Apple. I am looking for any and all feedback for this issue as I am at the end of my rope. My apologies if that was not clear.

My feedback is that computer users need to ensure their third party products, such as printers, will continue to work prior to upgrading an operating system. If a third party product manufacturer does not provide updated drivers for a new operating system then the user should not upgrade their operating system if they want to continue using the old unsupported printer.

I have been an apple user for 15 years, upgraded OS dozens of times with zero issues. How could I have known that this new OS would create havoc for old printers. I did reach out to HP and the most current driver they had was OS 26. Apparently they were caught off guard as well.

I am admittedly a casual computer user so I don't really follow all the latest news. I just know that the updates happen in the September and usually don't effect my life much.

I have not heard anyone explain why both printers started working again the day after my marathon session with support after a computer re-boot?

And have worked flawlessly for a month until today when I noticed the 27.0.1 update was installed.

If HP was "caught off guard" by an operating system that was available to them in beta releases several months ago, then they do not deserve your business. They lost mine decades ago, for that reason.

I find it hard to believe HP was caught unaware. I do believe they simply don't care.

Avoid HP.

Nekchek817 wrote:

I have been an apple user for 15 years, upgraded OS dozens of times with zero issues. How could I have known that this new OS would create havoc for old printers. I did reach out to HP and the most current driver they had was OS 26. Apparently they were caught off guard as well.

Pretty much every update causes printer problems. It's not clear why printer manufacturers appear to lack inclination to update things. Perhaps, as John says, they simply don't care.

John Galt wrote:

Apple was wise to exit that market decades ago. Meanwhile my 40 year old ImageWriters still work. They sold for about $1000 back then. I think I paid $3000 for one of their LaserWriters (four pages per minute!), but have since parted with it in favor of Brother printers. I use a Raspberry Pi as a print server. Everything still works, regardless of how many macOS updates or upgrades may come along.

I got a StyleWriter with my first Mac. I remember liking it quite well. Sadly, it was destroyed by a leaky roof.

I haven't owned a printer in about 10 years. The dozen or so pages I print a year, I generally do at work. It doesn't seem like a huge abuse of my employer's resources.

Thank you everyone for your comments suggestions and insight. And I offer my apologies for sharing an anecdote instead of an actual question that could generate helpful conversation.

Maybe this will - I understand that my 10 year old HP office jet will probably need to be plugged into the computer forever if I am going to use it. - But why does my nearly new, AirPrint compatible Rollo printer also stop working??

...Makes me a bit unsure about throwing $500 at a new "AirPrint" printer that should no longer need a driver.

TIA for your expertice!

I do understand I am not talking to Apple. I am looking for any and all feedback for this issue as I am at the end of my rope. My apologies if that was not clear.

BTW - There is no way to give product feedback specifically on an OS...only the Mac Book Air. Wonder why?