Mac 10.5.3 update: my USB printer on the AirPort Extreme is now working

After my ranting about Bonjour working better for Windows when printing to a USB printer connected to an AirPort Extreme Base Station, I thought that maybe yesterday's 10.5.3 update for OS X might fix the issue. The only reason I thought it might was because Apple indicated that behavior and reliability issues for the AEBS were addressed in the software patch. I didn't get a chance to try printing from the Macs until a short while ago and wouldn't you know it: wireless printing is now working like a charm.

Before the update, we were sending pages of graphics from Barb's iMac across the house over to the new Samsung CLP-300 color laser printer in my office. Pages would either take 15 to 20 minutes before coming through or I'd eventually get a timeout error page printed. Today, she sent a colorful page to the printer and before I could walk across the house from her office to mine, the page was there. Love it! Now I don't regret the AEBS purchase so much... or the color laser printer for $99 after rebate!

Comments

[jhall]

Have you tried attaching a usb hub to the aebs so you can attach more than one printer? Also, you attach to the hub a usb external harddrive and the printes at the same time.

[Kevin C. Tofel]

I haven't done that in the past because I couldn't get one printer working, let alone two. I previously had a hub connected to the AEBS, but to troubleshoot my printer issues I pulled it out to keep things as simple as possible to get it working. Now that it is, I may put the hub back to see if I can use my external drive. I want to make sure it works with a direct connection first, however.