If it's any help, I was able to easily set up an Epson Stylus Photo R200 printer using the LPV-U2-US USB Print Server in Mac OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard). I downloaded the latest Epson driver package (v8.6) through the Mac OS Software Update. NOTE: Up-to-date drivers for Mac are no longer available on the Epson site, but older versions are.
Steps to success:
- Configure the print server. I assigned it a fixed IP address from my router's address pool (as mentioned above) and gave it a recognizable name. Left all else at default settings.
- Add a printer, either from an application's print dialog, or from System Preferences->Print&Fax->Add Printer. Mac OS X will see the print server via Boujour? with the name you gave it.
- Give the new printer a name. In the Print Using: pulldown menu? go to Select Printer Software. For some reason, this has to be done manually - the Add Print tools don't see the drivers.
- Search for R200 in the Printer Software list and select the "Epson Stylus Photo R200 - Gutenprint v5.2.3 driver", NOT the Epson SP R200 series driver.
The Gutenprint driver was the key - I had been using the manufacturer's driver with no success. The OS could talk and listen to the print server, but not the driver.
According to Apple's support site for Snow Leopard, (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3669?), "Some of the included drivers were developed through the Gutenprint and CUPS open source projects. You can identify these drivers by looking for "Gutenprint" or "CUPS Sample Driver" next to the model name. You might use one of these drivers if no Snow Leopard-ready driver is available from a printer's manufacturer. Please note that these compatibility drivers may not support all features of your printer, and the printer's manufacturer does not provide support for using these drivers.?"
I have not done exhaustive testing, but the driver options seem to be adequate for most of the printing one would do with this printer.
The web browser configuration interface for the LPV3-U2-US print server is confusing - it's not been updated for awhile. It allows configuration of printers via the Rendezvous network protocol which apparently isn't supported by Snow Leopard.
Hope this helps!
Gary O'Brien
Photographer
Charlotte, NC
http://garyobrien.com