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'Color table is missing' and other errors after updating printer drivers

Some who have upgraded their printer drivers have run into problems where the printers will not have options for the full set of features, and printing will give them errors such as the "Color table is missing."

Topher Kessler MacFixIt Editor
Topher, an avid Mac user for the past 15 years, has been a contributing author to MacFixIt since the spring of 2008. One of his passions is troubleshooting Mac problems and making the best use of Macs and Apple hardware at home and in the workplace.
Topher Kessler
2 min read

Apple provides a number of printer drivers as part of the CUPS and Gutenprint systems that ship with OS X. These options are enough to get most users up and running, but may be missing a few model-specific features for some printers, so people may opt to install official drivers from the manufacturer. Some who have done this have run into problems, such as the printers not having options for the full set of features, and printing will give them errors such as the "Color table is missing."

To prevent these problems, be sure to remove and reset the print system before installing third-party printer drivers. You can do this by going to the "Print & Fax" system preferences, right-clicking your printer, and selecting the option to reset the print system. Keep in mind that doing this will remove all printers and settings, so only do this if you are planning on using only the one printer.

If you have more than one printer installed, your best option would be to remove the one you are planning on updating, and then run the installer for it. Just select it in the "Print & Fax" system preferences and click the minus symbol to remove it, and then run the printer installer.

If you have already installed a printer driver and are experiencing problems, such as the "Color table is missing" error, but wish to keep the updated version, try the following steps to remove the driver and revert back to Apple's:

  1. Run any uninstaller associated with the driver
  2. If there is no installer, locate and remove the folder corresponding to the name of the printer manufacturer from the /Macintosh HD/Library/Printers/ folder (make a backup of this folder beforehand).
  3. Remove the "InstalledPrinters.plist" file from this folder
  4. Install the latest driver package from the printer manufacturer


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