Printing Problem - But only in web browsers

[concordal]

Under Yosemite 10.10.5 on an iMac, I get the following two error messages when printing from Firefox and also when using "Save as pdf" in Firefox:

First error message: "Print Preview Error. An error occurred while printing"

Then, after clicking OK, I get the following second error message: "Printer Error. An error occurred while printing"

And, of course nothing is printed.

The Preview app, in general, seems to be working fine. And printing from other apps (not browsers) is also fine.

What I’ve tried:

• Tried printing under Safari and Chrome. Both yield just one empty page - most of the time. Sometimes they print properly. Possibly because of some of the stuff below ?
• Tried printing from other apps. All work fine.
• Tried removing com.apple.print.custompresets.forprinter.Canon_MX922.plist No impact.
• Repaired permissions - no impact
• Restarted in Safe mode. Then restarted. No impact
• Opened console and searched for "preview" Got the following:
  mdworker(456) deny file-read-data /Applications/Preview.app
• Reset the printing system using apple instructions at support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201539 No impact on problem
• Updated Firefox to latest version (44.0) No impact on problem
• Opened Firefox in Safe mode. No impact on problem

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

-Did you use the built-in print software for the Canon, or did you download it from Canon's website/use an install disc that came with it?
-Have you tried downloading the Canon Printer Drivers v3.3 for OS X from Apple and reinstalling them?
-Used Get Info to check the actual permissions on the Preview app?
-Do you happen to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed?
-Have you tried using File > Export as PDF...

C

 

[concordal]

Many thanks for the prompt reply, Cory! Before answering the questions you raised I should point out that I have been printing from browsers without issue for a few months.

- Did you use the built-in print software for the Canon, or did you download it from Canon's website/use an install disc that came with it?
I followed the prompts on the MX922 hardware itself, entering network name, etc. So I guess that means I used the built-in print software.


- Have you tried downloading the Canon Printer Drivers v3.3 for OS X from Apple and reinstalling them?
Thanks for the link, Cory; I can try that next if nothing in these responses leads to a solution.

- Used Get Info to check the actual permissions on the Preview app?
Attached is an image of the permissions for the Preview app.


-Do you happen to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed?
Yes, I do.


-Have you tried using File > Export as PDF. . .
Yes, I’ve tried File > Print > Save as pdf. Sometimes it saves and sometimes I get the same error message as before (Print Preview Error.) When the pdf does save successfully, if I try to print the saved pdf it sometimes yields a blank page, even though it displays properly on the screen.

 

[Cory Cooper]

Thanks for the additional information.

-Sounds like you setup the Canon using the built-in Apple drivers, instead of installing any...good.
-The permissions look normal on the Preview app.
-You could try uninstalling Adobe Acrobat Reader. It really isn't needed for most people, as Preview can handle PDFs.
-Do you have any third-party browser extensions, toolbars, or plug-ins installed?

C

 

[concordal]

Thanks once again, Cory!

- You could try uninstalling Adobe Acrobat Reader
I used Appcleaner to remove Acrobat Reader and restarted Firefox. No impact on problem. (By the way, I do have Adobe Acrobat XI Pro installed.)

- Do you have any third-party browser extensions, toolbars, or plug-ins installed?
Yes I do, Cory. But I have tried printing with Firefox in Safe Mode and the problem persists. Besides Safari printing is also misbehavingl. Under Safari, File > Print > Save as pdf yields a blank file. So the printing issue doesn't appear to be browser-specific.

Just as a matter of routine I also reset the SMC and PRAM. (After all, who can resist hearing the start-up chime?) Sadly, no impact on problem.

I also tried re-installing the Preview app from a Time Machine backup but the OS won't allow that.

Any other thoughts appreciated.


Sam

 

[Cory Cooper]

No problem.

Adobe Acrobat XI Pro is an older version, that was compatible with Mac OS X 10.6-10.8 and Safari 5/6. If it installed a browser plug-in, that could be part of the problem, since you are on Yosemite 10.10.5, even though it may have worked previously. The plug-in should be located in Macintosh HD > Library > Internet Plug-Ins. Definitely check that out and feel free to list all of the plug-ins in that folder so we can review them.

C

 

[concordal]

Appcleaner already removed a couple of items form internet plug-ins. Here is a list of what is left:

AdobeAAMDetect.plugin
Default Browser.plugin
Disabled Plug-Ins
nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt
QuickTime Plugin.plugin
EPPEX Plugin.plugin
Flash Player.plugin
flashplayer.xpt
Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin
JavaAppletPlugin.plugin
Quartz Composer.webplugin
Silverlight.plugin

 

[Cory Cooper]

Those all look normal. Maybe there are more in your User Library...do you know how to navigate to it?

C

 

[concordal]

Internet Plug-ins in User Library is empty.

Really appreciate your time, Cory

 

[Cory Cooper]

No problem, that's why we're here.

This really is a stumper. One thing we haven't tried is to create another user account on the Mac, login to it, and see if the issue persists. If so, then it's a system-wide software issue. If not, then it is probably a cache or preference file issue in your user.

C

 

[concordal]

Good suggestion. Logged in as Guest User. Printed fine from Firefox as well as Safari. Also "Save as pdf" worked properly. So I guess it's a "cache or preference file issue in your user." I actually have the Yosemite cache cleaner app but after the Mavericks version caused problems I have been reluctant to use it!

I also have the Preferential Treatment app -- It reports two problems as follows:

User Preferences: "CPF2: (5c) /Users/Sam/Library/Preferences/com.openmeta.shared.plist: Cannot parse a NULL or zero-length data"

System Preferences: "CPF2: (5c) /Library/Preferences/canonijnetwork.plist: Cannot parse a NULL or zero-length data"​

 

[Cory Cooper]

Let me see if I can identify some prefs/caches that may be involved...

C

 

[concordal]

Update: Cleaned font cache. Printing seemed to be okay but error messages retuned within a few minutes.

 

[Cory Cooper]

I haven't forgotten about this issue...have just been very busy. Will try to make some suggestions later today if possible.

C