Home Forums Mac Software Mac Operating Systems Ever had an upgrade which made things worse?

Like a good Mac user, I run Software Update regularly.

Hitherto, our networked Brother printer has banged out multi-page printouts almost quicker than you can stand there and count the pages coming out of the printer. So quick that you are amazed at how quick it delivers printouts. A 14-page PDF report? EASY. Three copies of a document, HAH!

Now, however, having downloaded the latest Software Update containing a Brother Printer update, it now goes.....

page one.......
pause
page two.......
pause.........

Or if I want two copies of an invoice, say, it goes

first copy.......
pause.....
second copy.................
wait for it.......

This is way, way, worse than the previous iteration. Is there any way of going back to the superlatively excellent previous version? And, why has this happened?

Thanks.

Unless you downloaded the previous driver version as a .dmg file (for just such an occasion), I would suspect that your only option is to go back in time via Time Machine and 'recover' from a point when you had the driver version you liked.
Alternatively, you might go directly to the manufacturer's website to see if the older driver is still available there.

(I make it a point, once I know that an update is available, to download the full version as a .dmg file, rather than just let Software Update do its thing, and update from that. I then save that file in another folder. In fact, I do that with all major software updates from all sources.)

The current printer driver is version 4.1.0 which according to Brother Solutions is a CUPS driver.

There is also a 4.0.0 which is a BR-Script driver. That's an emulation of PostScript.

I'm wondering if I would revert to faster functionality if I installed the 4.0.0 instead.

Just out of curiosity, what programs are you printing from? Does this happen with all programs, or only with some programs?

I have a Canon printer, and I have noticed something similar...but, only from Rosetta (PowerPC) apps. It seems that something changed in the Canon printer update that makes programs running in Rosetta take a long time to print, but when I print from native Intel programs, everything is snappy.

I still have a handful of Rosetta apps left (it's one reason I'm not using Lion as my main OS yet), and there is a really big, and consistent, difference between printing in Rosetta vs. Intel.

We print from Pages, Numbers, Mail, Preview, AppleWorks and the internet. The worst/slowest is PDF files printed from Preview. They used to print so fast that people would look up in surprise at the printer churning out pages so fast. Now there is a roughly a 20-second delay between each page, so that people think that the printer has given up.

I engaged Brother in about an hour's on-line help this afternoon. The man's suggestion was to dismount (-) the networked Brother and remount ( + ) it again. I couldn't see how that would solve anything, since these problems started immediately after a Software Update, but eventually I did what he asked anyway. As I surmised, it made no difference. At that point he (the Brother help-person) gave up, commenting that 'other Apple users have remarked on this'.

Hmm. The PDF printing is sparking a hint of an idea....

Look at the properties for the printer driver. I bet that what's happening is that you're still using a PostScript printer driver or a PPD (PostScript Printer Definition). When you print PostScript to a CUPS printer, the computer must run a PostScript rasterizer on your computer, which takes time. Especially if you're printing a PDF; it's getting translated from PDF to PostScript and then from PostScript to whatever your printer's native language is.

I will gladly do that if you tell me where to find it and how to look at the properties.

Hey, I fixed it!

It was partly Tacit's post about PPD drivers, and partly my tendency never to give up.

On Brother's own website, the specification for the earlier model of this printer, which only comes with a BR-Script 3 driver. That's Brother's version of Postscript, viz: "BR-Script 3 (PPD file for Mac® 9.1- 9.2, and Mac® OS X 10.2.4 or greater)" Figuring that it couldn't possibly do any harm if I downloaded and installed that, I did.

System Preferences >Print&Fax > Options&Supplies > Drivers > Select software > clicked on BR-Script, ok.

Test print first 5 pages of long PDF file.

Speedy no-delays printout now reinstated.

HALLELUJAH!

Now, why the devil couldn't the "Help" man @ Brother get me to try that yesterday?

And why the devil does a routine Apple Software Update load you up with something which buggers up enfeebles your office network printing?