Cannot print after Security Update 2007-009 1.1: more fixes

We continue to receive reports from users who are unable to print after applying Security Update 2007-009 1.1. Most of these issues appear to stem from difficulties with CUPS. As such, we initially recommended the use of Printer Setup Repair, which can force the CUPS (the common UNIX printing system) to restart. Unfortunately, the tool isn't Leopard-compatible, meaning it will only work to ameliorate this issue on Mac OS X 10.4.11 systems with the security update. It also appears that simply restarting CUPS may not be sufficient -- a re-install of the printing system, or reversion to an earlier version may be necessary.

For starters, here's how to restart CUPS manually, something you should try first in the event of manifold printing issues: Launch the Terminal (located in /Applications/Utilities) and type the following commands, pressing return after each:

• cupsdisable
• cupsenable

Failing that, you may need to reinstall CUPS, or revert to an earlier version of the system. Various versions are available from this Web site: http://www.cups.org/software.php,. First you should use the latest file with a .dmg extension, then move to prior iterations if necessary.

Meanwhile, some users are experiencing success with the following, more traditional workarounds:

Clear caches Use Leopard Cache Cleaner to perform a medium or deep cleaning of caches. One reader writes:

"Did a couple of safe boots and ran 'All' Leopard Cache Cleaner tasks. Voila! My printing is back in PhotoShop CS2, Word 2004, AW, and Text Edit."

Repair permissions Sure enough, some users have been able to resolve post Security Update 2007-009 1.1 printing issues by repairing disk permissions with Disk Utility (located in /Applications/Utilities).

One reader writes:

"For me restarting cupsd was not enough. cupsd would fail immediately with an unresolved symbol so I could never get it to run. I ended up reinstalling Cups 1.2.8 and my Brotherprint drivers/utilities, then did a repair permissions in Printer Setup Utility, and finally a repair permissions in Disk Utility before I got printing services restored."

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Resources