Getting an HP Color LaserJet CP1215 working on a Mac
Introduction
Installation
Color Management
Uninstall
– Updates –
12/31/2009: Added a section on uninstalling the drivers.
11/23/2009: Added a section detailing how to get around some errors people have been encountering during the process.
09/27/2009: After numerous reports of no printing, I tracked the problem to the new version of the drivers. Updated link to old version until compatibility can be worked out. Added boldface to the code bits to help differentiate them better, and added a donation button for fun and profit.
09/21/2009: Changed some information about downloading XCode, depending on your OS version.
09/07/2009: I received Snow Leopard, and the printer works fine after upgrading. Once I finish downloading XCode for Snow Leopard, I’ll redo the installation process and see if anything has changed.
02/11/2009: A new version of one of the software installs used here causes some printing problems, so I’ve updated to link to the last working version. I’ve also enabled comment RSS, so you can subscribe if you have a question instead of having to check back here to see if I’ve answered.
02/01/2009: I’ve added another section on getting better color management from the printer. This is by far the most popular post I’ve ever made, garnering several thousand hits in the past month, so HP really messed up with this one!
– End updates –
Introduction
When I moved to Alaska, I bought a bunch of technology equipment for my little home office: an iMac, an Epson scanner, and a little HP Color Laserjet CP1215. I eagerly unpacked it all and set it up after FedEx and UPS delivered everything to my door. I was particularly excited to have my own color laser printer, especially having found a great deal on it from HP. Imagine my dismay when, upon trying to add it to Mac OS X, I could not find any sort of driver for it on my computer. The printer install CD was only for Windows computers. HP’s website only listed Windows driver downloads.
Having spent the last 10+ years of my life working almost exclusively with HP LaserJets and Macs, I was surprised to find that this particular printer was not and would not ever be compatible with a Mac, according to HP. I apparently overlooked that little tidbit of information in the 3 days I spent researching it vs. the other cheap inexpensive color printers out there, assuming HP would have to be crazy to release a laser printer without Mac compatibility.
Much cursing ensued.
Since then, I’ve been saving everything I want to print as a PDF, opening Windows XP in a Parallels VM, and printing from there. It’s a hassle, and today I reached a breaking point. I created a nifty little business flyer in Pages (I’ll post it later), and the resulting PDF looked totally different than my original design! I needed to print directly from Pages, so I decided to see what Google would bring me. The news was good, if complicated. I’ll post my steps here, with links, for the betterment of humanity.
How to do it:
Note: I’ve only tested this on OS X 10.5 and 10.6 (Leopard and Snow Leopard), so I can’t guarantee this will work if you are on a different version of OS X.
You’ll be installing some Unix-based software, so say hello to the command line!
- Install Apple’s Developer Tools, if you haven’t already. It’s a free download (about 1GB!), but you’ll have to create an account on the Apple Developer site to get to it. Once you have your account and are logged in, go to Downloads, then Developer Tools, then click on whatever version of XCode Developer Tools (disk image) they list for your OS. For Snow Leopard (10.6.x), 3.2 is the latest; Leopard (10.5.x), 3.1.4 is the latest; and for Tiger (10.4.x), 2.5 is what you want. If you already have an ADC account and are running Snow Leopard, you can go straight to the XCode download site.
After it downloads, it will open up and you’ll have to double-click the XCode Tools package installer to start the process. No restart is required.
- Download GhostScript,
just click on the latest versionI’ve updated this to link to a specific working version, 8.63. The 8.64 version disables color printing for some reason. I’ll file a bug report and update this when it’s fixed. It’s okay to use the linked version. - Download foomatic-filters.
- Download foo2hp.
The download link is a little ways down the page, and the downloaded file is actually called foo2zjs.I’ve updated the link to point to the last working version of the drivers, until I can work out some issues with the latest version. - Compile the software you just downloaded. To do so, open Terminal in your /Applications/Utilities folder
- Navigate to wherever your downloads are stored. In 10.4 it’s usually on the Desktop (unless you’ve changed it), and in 10.5 it’s usually in the Downloads folder. Just type:
cd Desktoporcd Downloadsand hit Enter. - The bits of software you downloaded should have automatically unarchived, so you should be able to go directly into their folders:
cd ghostscript(after typing a few characters of the folder name, you can hit the Tab key and it will fill in the rest of the folder name) - If your computer didn’t automatically unarchive the downloads, type
tar -zxf nameofdownloadedfile.tar.gzto unarchive them (replace nameofdownloadedfile.tar.gz with the names of the actual files you downloaded). - Next, type:
./configureand hit enter. A lot of text will scroll by. It will eventually stop and hopefully there won’t be any errors. - When you can type again, type in
makeand hit enter. More text, hopefully no errors. - Finally, type
sudo make installand hit enter. It will ask for your password. Enter it. If you don’t have a password set on your account, and you’re running Mac OS X 10.5, you’ll need to set a password in System Preferences: Accounts before this will work. - Now we have to do almost the same for the next piece of the puzzle, the foomatic-filters. Type
cd ..to go back one folder, thencd foomatic-filters-3.0.2into the foomatic-filters folder. - Note: if you have trouble getting Terminal to get the full folder name after hitting Tab, that’s due to having two items that start with similar letters (eg. the downloaded file “foomatic-filters-3.0-current.tar” and the unarchived folder “foomatic-filters-3.0.2″).
There are many ways to solve this. You can delete the downloaded tar.gz files after you’re sure the folders have been unarchived, you can type out more of the folder name until it is differentiated from the tar.gz file, or as Roger notes in the comments, you can type
cdin the Terminal, then drag the folder icon to the Terminal window and it will fill in the correct path. - Repeat the “
./configure,” “make,” and “sudo make install” steps from before, hopefully receiving no errors! - Now, navigate into the foo2zjs folder (
cd ..thencd foo2zjs) - This time, you start by typing
make. - Note: Some people have reported receiving an error about ghostscript not being installed during this step. If this happens to you, please skip down to the Adding To Your $PATH section, then return here when you’ve completed those steps.
- Next, you’ll need to download the actual drivers for your printer. Since I have a 1215, I typed
./getweb 1215and it downloaded the drivers. sudo make installone last time, and you’re almost ready to go.- Restart your printer software with
sudo make cups. An alternative to this is to just restart your computer. - Open up your Printer Utility (10.4) or Print and Fax PreferencePane (10.5), and add the printer. OS X will see the 1215 attached via USB, and after searching for drivers, will find the foo2hp for 1215 driver!
Now, to get better colors on your prints, you’ll have to change around the color profile for the printer. To do this, print something and in the print dialog box that opens, select “Printer Features” from the third drop-down menu (you may need to click the blue arrow button beside the printer drop-down menu). Here’s what it will look like (click to enlarge):

This is where you can set whether to print in color or black and white, what sort of paper to use, etc. Click on the menu named “Feature Sets,” and select “Adjustments.” This is where you can change how the printer decides how to print colors. These .icm files all contain color management instructions for the printer, and most of them don’t work very well. It was pointed out in the comments that the ones that aren’t specifically labeled for the CP1215 actually work the best, which makes this even more awesome.
I found that the .icm file named “HP 1600/2600 – hpclj2600n-0.icm” gave me smoother gradients in the test photo, but the file named “HP 1600/2600 – ICCFactory1 (default) gave me more vivid colors. If only we could combine their powers and make a super .icm file! Anyway, select the one you want to use.

After you’ve set everything the way you want, you can save it as a preset, so you don’t have to go through and set it all again the next time you print. Just click on the second drop-down menu that probably says “Standard,” and Save As…

You can make a preset for each type of paper, color option, etc. so life will be even easier after all this hard work.

Finally, if you’re keen to get a custom color profile made specifically for your printer (even printers of the same production model will have slight variations in printing), you can buy a custom profile from this ebay vendor: fotojimbo’s Custom ICC Profiles.
In my short bit of testing, I have found a couple of caveats:
- To print in color, you’ll need to set it to color in the print dialog box, under “Printer Features” in the drop-down menu.
- In “Printer Features,” setting the Bits Per Plane to “2″ will waste a lot of toner
- Setting the paper type to HP Photo Paper and using HP Photo Paper is a disaster. All three of my test prints didn’t turn out: some of the toner didn’t get correctly applied, and spilled everywhere. I’ll still have to use Windows to print photos.
- Color matching isn’t the greatest, I’ve had some trouble getting dark blues to turn out dark. But, it’s better than not being able to print from OS X at all.
See, Macs are simple!
If you found this helpful, please consider encouraging me with a donation or even better, buy a photograph (everybody wins!).
This section is specifically for people experiencing an error saying ghostscript isn’t installed during Step 14. Ghostscript is actually installed, but Terminal is dumb and can’t see where it is. Let’s correct that!
- Mac OS X 10.5/10.6
- In the Terminal, type
cd /etc/paths.d - Type
sudo pico localand enter your password. - You’ll be given a mostly empty window where you can type. This is the pico text editor, one of the simplest command line text editors. Type
/usr/local/binand do not hit Enter or any other extra keys. - Press and hold the Control key on the keyboard. While holding the Control key, press the ‘X’ key and then let go of both keys. Pico will ask you something like “Save modified buffer?” That’s nerd-speak for “Do you want to save your file?” Press the ‘Y’ key to save.
- Restart your computer
- Return to Step 14 and try again. Be sure you navigate back into the foo2zjs folder with the Terminal first!
- Mac OS X 10.4
- In the Terminal, type
cd(this puts the command line back in your home directory) - Type
pico .profile - More than likely, you’ll be given a mostly blank window. If not, hit the Enter key once to make some space, then the Up arrow key to put the cursor in the space you just made.
- Type
export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATHand do not hit Enter or any other extra keys. - Press and hold the Control key on the keyboard. While holding the Control key, press the ‘X’ key and then let go of both keys. Pico will ask you something like “Save modified buffer?” That’s nerd-speak for “Do you want to save your file?” Press the ‘Y’ key to save.
- Restart your computer
- Return to Step 14 and try again. Be sure you navigate back into the foo2zjs folder with the Terminal first!
If you need to delete the drivers, please copy and paste the following command in the Terminal:
sudo rm -r /usr/local/bin/gs /usr/local/bin/foo* /usr/local/etc/foomatic /usr/local/share/ghostscript /usr/local/man/man1/foomatic* /usr/bin/foo2* /usr/share/foo2* /usr/libexec/cups/filter/foomatic*

@TallSwede
Sorry for the silence, I’m working on a big project and it doesn’t leave me much time for figuring out all the printer issues. Especially ones that pop up during compiling, and can have so, so many causes.
I know it works for 10.4, as I’ve done the installation several times on my wife’s iBook. I’ll run it again tomorrow and see if I can find anything that looks like what you’re getting. 10.6 doesn’t list anything like what you’re getting, so it might be a compiler issue. Do you have the latest XCode available for 10.4?
@Ryan
Hi Ryan,
After reinstalling the latest Xcode (Xcode 2.5, dated 10/2007) this sequence completes!
Some small comments to hone the 10.4 instructions:
(1) At step [15] “./getweb 1215″ allow any connection-blocking utility such as Little Snitch, access
(2) Before step [18], add: “Attach the powered-up printer to a USB socket”
(3) Step [18] it is called “Printer Setup Utility” (not Printer Utility)
Incidentally, you can also use System Preferences>Print & Fax>Click the [+] button to add a printer in 10.4, just like your 10.5 instructions.
Many thanks – Donation on its way /DJ
Ryan,
Great job but I got this in step 16,
# Install current database files
#
***
*** WARNING! You don’t have directory /usr/share/foomatic/db/source/
*** If you want support for foomatic printer configuration,
*** then you will have to manually install these files…
***
It seems to work but will I need these files at some point?
thanks
Ken
That is fantastic. Thank you!
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for some great instructions. However, I get stuck right at the end. When I go to add the printer I can see the CP1215 connected via USB but I can’t see the foo2hp driver. I have a drop down list of various printer manufacturers but can’t find the correct driver anywhere. The only other option I have is to select other which just opens up an explorer window to browse for files.
Hi Ryan, great work and lots of thanks for the sharing of information.
Problem is… It shows up on my mac that the printer is not connected even it is already plugged in…
I finally got it to connect to my mac, but the printer did not move at all after I tried printing, even though it shows on my mac that the page has been spooled and printed… I’m using a 2-year old 15″ MacBook Pro with Snow Leopard…
Hi Ryan
Thanks for posting this. I’ve been doing the battle between my Mac and the HP printer for a while now.
I’ve done everything up until Step 8:
“Next, type: ./configure and hit enter. A lot of text will scroll by. It will eventually stop and hopefully there won’t be any errors.”
Where do I type “./configure”?
Everything went OK until I found the foo2hp for 1215 driver… but the printer does nothing when i try to print!! (iMac 2,4 10.5 leopard)
Thanks for these instructions. My wife won an HP CP1215 at her annual office party, but we’re Mac users. After finding your instructions online, I did as you wrote and got my printer to work on my Mac desktop (so far so good at least).
Hi!
I have this printer too and a mac.
You solved my very big problem in printing with my printer!
Very very thanks!
You’re a Genius!
Thanks so much, Ryan! I was able to (partially) print in the Chrome browser but my barcode image didn’t come through. In addition, I can’t seem to print in other apps like Safari. Any tips?
Hi Ryan Please help me out, I am stucked in the step 8 got this
xl-ds-macbook-pro-15:ghostscript-8.63 dtb$ ./configure
checking for gcc… no
checking for cc… no
checking for cl.exe… no
configure: error: no acceptable C compiler found in $PATH
See `config.log’ for more details.
where did I do wrong wrong?
I m using Macbook pro 15 , mac os 10.6
thx!!!
@lei
That looks like you need to install the latest XCode per Step 1.
Okay . . . I am NOT a programmer, not play one on TV.
I downloaded the XCode, GhostScript, foomatic, foo2hp . . . Installed the XCode.
But, when I open the Terminal application is shows the following (and won’t respond to the cd desktop instruction) :
Last login: Tue Mar 2 11:05:37 on ttys000
mac-users-macbook-pro-1192:~ macuser$ cd desktop
mac-users-macbook-pro-1192:desktop macuser$
I am grateful for whatever help you can give me!
Please and thank you in advance.
Betsy
@Ryan
You are a Star!!!!!!
I love you man! machine finally works!!!
@Betsy
It does respond to the cd command. You can see “desktop” is in the second line instead of “~”. You might have better luck just typing “cd” (without the quotes), and dragging and dropping the first folder (Ghostscript) onto the Terminal window, and hitting return after it autofills in the path to the folder. Then follow the rest of the instructions. When it’s time to switch to the next folder (foomatic-filters) repeat the dragging and dropping with that folder.
I’m installing it on my iMac . . . I’m not sure why it’s saying macbook-pro-1192
@Betsy
Did you transfer information from your Macbook Pro to your iMac? You can look in your System Preferences:Sharing panel to see what your computer name is. That’s where the terminal is getting it’s information.
Thanks very much this worked for me. HP should give a consultants role.
Regards
come on HP get youre ACT together
Mac OS X Version 10.6.2