Epson R2400 printer installation

I have been unable to get my Epson R2400 printer to work with Parallels using Windows XP. It works fine with Fusion but not with Parallels. I have seen posts some time ago offering a workaround requiring setting up a CUPS printer that reportedly works for some folks but does not allow use of the Epson ink monitor. I am hoping that by now Parallels has come up with a simpler solution that allows full functionality of the printer. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

I should have mentioned in my post above that I have a Mac Pro, am using OSX 10.4.11, and I have the latest build of Parallels v.3 installed. Thanks.

 

Hello.

Could you please try Release Candidate build of upcoming Parallels Desktop Update?

http://www.parallels.com/en/download/desktop/beta

 

Many months ago, I put together the description of the "CUPS" solution (actually the setting up of a Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) port with a passthrough raw queue, administered with the CUPS interface (all OSX printing uses CUPS)).

There is a fundamental choice here...

... Parallels runs a guest OS in a virtual machine
... the virtual machine makes use of an interface to the processor provided by Intel
... the virtual machine makes use of an interface to general hardware through several components provided by Parallels
... the USB subsystem is difficult to virtualise
... the virtual machine is networked to the host machine
... the network connection is easy to virtualise

You have the choice of attempting the difficult, simulated USB connection to hardware or you can make use of the far more reliable (but limited) connections provided over the simulated network using established network standards.

If you find yourself setting up a shared network printer between a virtual machine and native OSX the situation is no different to when you run a mixed network of physically separate PCs and Macs.

If you had a network with a PC connected to a Mac and the Epson attached to the Mac, you would be able to use the CUPS printing solution, but you would not be able to view ink level details on the PC.

If you expect the Windows install under Parallels to have access to the full functionality of the printer, then the complexity of the solution is increased. It is likely that the native connection of the printer to the host OS (OSX) is going to be compromised. In passing forward the connection from the host operating system to the guest operating system, more system components (developed by Parallels) become involved - these system components will be sensitive to version changes in the host operating system. An approach of building in interdependency is at a disadvantage in trying to deliver a low-maintenance, high-reliability solution.

On the other hand, setting up a networked printer port conforming to the internet printing protocol (IPP) standard (administered using the CUPS interface) gives you a standards-based approach to networked printing, supported by the might of Apple (standing on the shoulders of the BSD/*NIX giants) and Microsoft.

Parallels provides "Coherence" whereby your Windows apps run seamlessly side by side with OSX apps. Why not run the Epson ink monitor natively under OSX?

I'm not here with any axe to grind. My profession is to install systems that work. I read a lot of people here demanding that Parallels "fix" things. I can see that as Parallels gets drawn into more complex interplay with the host OS, it will more and more become the whipping-boy for changes introduced in the host OS. You only have to look at how much OSX Leopard has been able to break Parallels builds that were stable under Tiger.

My advice for years of trouble-free running of shared printing resources is to set the resource up as a shared network printer and accept some level of compromise. Compare it to the level of compromise required to find the desk space for a separate Windows machine.

 

Thanks Archy for suggesting that I try the Beta and Mr. SA for your thoughtful and instructive response. I installed the Beta this evening and found that my R2400 installed perfectly and now runs with full functionality. That eliminates my need to re-try Mr SA's CUSP network printing solution, at least for this printer, but I'm glad to have the benefit of Mr. SA's explanation of the way the VM works under the hood. I am sure that will be helpful in the future.