Trying to print from Windows using Parallels 4.0 under Mac OS X Snow Leopard and getting the infuriating and useless error message “pstopdffilter/pstocupsraster failed with err number -31000″?
I spent a fair while Googling for a solution to this before stumbling across the answer: turn your printer off and back on. That’s it. No reinstalling drivers, adding or removing printers or playing with settings – just a good old fashioned power cycle. It’s nice to know some things never change :)
Hat tip to Walt-O-Matic for the answer.
I was printing from Microsoft Office Word, via a networked HP C4480 printer on Windows Server 2008 via an Airport Extreme.
Turning the printer off and on did not completely solve the problem for me, but it got me started on my own work around below. First, I installed the latest Epson Stylus Photo R300 drivers for Snow Leopard (from Epson website) and when I turned the printer off and then on again I get a Message Window that says a new USB device has been detected. “Do you want to use it for Mac or Virtual Machine?” When I select Virtual Machine (meaning the Windows side of Parallels) I could print checks from my Quicken program. But then I could not print e-mail or web pages from iMail or Safari on the Apple side. When I went to the Apple Print Monitor, I saw the print job was in the queue with the message “Waiting for Printer to be available”. So I turned my printer off and on again and got the same message about a new USB device being detected. This time I hit Mac and as soon as the printer went through its startup cycle the e-mail in queue began printing. (I never had to do this before.) So apparently Parallels has a problem recognizing printer when you associate it with the MAC and you have to use this little work around until they solve this interface problem. It’s a pain but at least I can now print my Quicken checks which is running on the Windows side of Parallels. Hope this helps somebody.
Went to the apple store 3 times for this problem, tried both of the above and did not work so resorted to reading the manual!!:)
Page 137-Parallels Manuel “How to share printer with Mac”—–In Parallels, the default printer is HP Color Laserjet 8500PS-install this printer , do NOT install your printer.
It works!!!!
Bev….Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It does work!
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Thank you Bev. I went round a number of blocks before stumbling on your comment. Why on earth Paralles couln’t make the installation procedure a bit more transparent I don’t know. Anyway, no worries now!
Use Acrobat Pro : Document > Reduce File Size size and save – QED
Thanks Bev worked like a charm!
I just came across this problem and seem to have a solution similar to Gary, but a little easier. Similar to Gary’s solution, you have to switch between your connection to either the Mac or Parallels, and I have my printer connected via USB. So I just go to the parallels device icon on my Mac and go to “Devices” and choose USB. I then click on the description of my printer (I have Brother MFC 7340 and the description says “Brother Industries – Composite”) and it places a check next to it. So I guess that means that my USB connection only recognizes the printer and it is only connected to my windows programs in parallels. When I want to print something from the Mac side of my computer, I just uncheck the prior selection in parallels. Hope this solution helps someone else.
I can’t believe the time I’ve spent over the last 2.5 days trying to get my new Canon MG6120 to print via Parallels!
I wanted to set this up with the wireless setting and thanks to Bev’s great find I can now print via Parallels, on my iMac and from my Windows laptop.
As for my HP Laserjet (via USB) I too have to change the device when I print (see Alex’s post).
Does anyone know if the latest version of Parallels fixes this problem? I’m using version 5 and think it’s 6 that was just released.
Thanks Bev and all who contributed to this issue.
BEV. I Love you!
OK. I came acrossed this problem and I have parallel 6. Just make sure your printer is pointing at “Printer for Mac”, instead of the default printer for windows. That should allow your Windows VM to print to your printer. Tested everything from Excel to Pdf files.
works 60% of the time ALL the time ;]
I have Parallel 6 and Windows 7 with MS Office 2010 on my Macbook Pro, and I have the same problems with any of the 3 printers I try to use. It’s a persistent problem that pops up daily! I found out that if I bypass printing in Windows, and instead save the same file in PDF format, then any printer I have would print the PDF document. I wish this problem could be fixed by Parallel, which overall has disappointed me. I wonder sometime if I should just uninstall it
Bloody brilliant! Worked like a charm, after sweating over google for ages.
I’m using RDP for Apple on my Macbook and connecting to a Windows 7 workstation. I get this same error even though I’m not using Parallels. I know that the W7 machine sends the print job to my Mac because that error pops up on my local PC. Should I change a driver or something?
Bev, you are a star!
OMG. Thanks Bev. It works.
There’s actually an easy way around this.
On a Mac in one step, drag the problematic file that you want to print over the Preview App on your dock and then print from there.
Or you can do it manually but is the same thing;
-Use Finder to find the PDF you’d like to print.
-Double tap
-click “open with”
-Preview
-Print
Keith, thank you so much! Worked perfectly.
Keith- thanks a bunch! after googling the problem, i saw your solution and it worked like a charm!