OS X Mountain Lion Bible

Summary

OS X lets you connect one or more printers, fax modems (including fax machines), and scanners so you can print, fax, and scan documents. You typically can connect printers, fax modems, and scanners via USB, FireWire, Bluetooth, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi connections, though FireWire-capable devices are uncommon.

OS X has drivers for some devices preinstalled and can download others from the Internet automatically to set them up for you. But you should run the setup utility if one comes with your device (on a disc or from the manufacturer's website).

Note that multifunction printers that have fax and/or scan capabilities require the manufacturer's drivers to be installed for your Mac to access those fax and scan features, even if the Mac has the drivers built in for the printer services. Also note that these devices typically appear only as printers in the Print & Scan system preference, so you cannot manage them there or create shortcut icons to them as you can normally do with printers, fax modems, and scanners.

The Print & Scan system preference contains the management controls for printers, fax modems, and scanners. It also lets you access the print and fax queues that display the status of current jobs, as well as the scan window for scanners.

To use a printer, open the Print settings sheet or dialog box by choosing File⇒Print or pressing +P. You'll see a variety of configuration ...