Understand printing errors in OSX 10.12 Sierra

Article ID: ART166676

Date published: 10/21/2016

Date last updated: 10/21/2019

Description

Find solutions to printing errors specific to Macintosh OSX 10.12 Sierra including filter error and partial printing issues.

Solution

Symptoms and cause

If you are using the OS X El Capitan (10.11) printer driver on a Mac OS X Sierra (10.12) system, you may have the following symptoms and be unable to print correctly.

When you attempt to print, the filter error will be indicated and no printing can be performed.
Printing stops part way through.
Print results are incorrect (some portions are missing, etc.).

Best solution

Update your computer to macOS 10.12.1 and install the latest CUPS printer driver for your printer. Find the most recent drivers on our support site.

Alternative steps

If you prefer not to update your computer to macOS 10.12.1 or later, the following steps may help.

Select Print from your application.
In the Print dialog, select the PDF drop-down menu.
Select Open PDF in Preview.
Preview application will launch, and from in Preview, select File > Save....
In the Format section, select TIFF, and specify 600 pixels/inch resolution.
Select Save.
In Preview, select File > Export....
In the Format section, select TIFF, deselect Alpha, and select Save.
In Preview, select File > Print....
In the Print dialog, choose the same paper size as in Step 1, then perform print settings in the printer driver.
Select Print to print.