How to print on Mac, from Command-P to a stuck print queue

Before the first print: the printer has to be set up

By cable. Apple says to connect the printer with a cable, checking its documentation for the type if you don’t have the cable it came with, typically to a USB-A, USB-C, Thunderbolt or Ethernet port, with an adapter if needed, and to install the printer’s software, called the driver, usually from the manufacturer’s website. Sometimes the driver turns up when you add the printer in System Settings.

Wirelessly. A printer that supports AirPrint prints without installing any software, Apple says, once it is on the same network as the Mac; whether a printer supports AirPrint is in its documentation.

The options in the Print dialog

Paper and scale. Paper Size sets the sheet, and Manage Custom Sizes adds one, such as an envelope. Under Paper Handling, Scale to fit paper size works with the size chosen in Destination Paper Size; Scale Down Only keeps a smaller document at its original size. Media & Quality sets the tray, the media type and the quality.

Layout. Pages per Sheet and Layout Direction put several pages on one sheet, Border adds a border in a line style you choose, and a printer that prints two-sided may show Print as Booklet. Flip Horizontally mirrors the images, and Reverse Page Orientation prints it upside down.

Both sides, odd pages, reverse order. Choose On in the Double-sided pop-up menu, or On (Short Edge) for binding at the top. Paper Handling has Collate Sheets, Sheets to Print (all, odd or even) and Sheet Order (normal or reverse).

A watermark, and a default size. Turn on Watermark, click Apply Watermark, type the text and choose where it goes. A default paper size for new documents is set in Printers & Scanners settings, in the “Default paper size” pop-up menu.

Save as PDF, from the same dialog

The button. Press Command-P and click the PDF button in the bottom-left corner, or open the PDF pop-up menu and choose Save as PDF, then name the file and click Save. Apple says a PDF saved this way looks exactly as it would when printed, and that clicking the PDF button saves as PDF by default unless you change that with Edit Menu.

A password. Security Options can require a password to open the PDF, to copy from it or to print it.

The rest of the PDF menu. Save to Web Receipts puts the file in the Web Receipts folder inside Documents; Send in Mail attaches it to a new message; Save to iCloud Drive stores it in iCloud; Save as PostScript writes a PostScript Level 2 file.

A PDF or images in Preview, and a document in Word

Preview. To print some pages of a PDF, Apple says to choose View > Thumbnails, Command-click the thumbnails you want, then File > Print and select Selection in Preview. The Preview section of the dialog also has Auto Rotate, Show Notes for the notes visible in the PDF window, Scale, Scale to Fit with Print Entire Image or Fill Entire Paper, and Copies per page.

Word for Mac. Microsoft’s page, for Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Word 2024 and Word 2021, starts from File > Print. For a few pages, Page Range takes numbers and ranges separated by commas, such as 3, 4-6. Two-sided is under Copies & Pages > Layout > Two-Sided, with Long-Edge or Short-Edge binding. On a printer without automatic duplex, Microsoft’s route is Copies & Pages > Microsoft Word > Odd pages only, then the stack turned over and Even pages only.

Reverse order in Word. Word > Preferences > Output and Sharing > Print, then Reverse print order under Print options, for a printer that stacks the pages back to front.

When nothing comes out: Apple’s checks, in the order of its page

The connection. The cable firmly connected, the printer plugged in and on; on a network, the Mac and the printer on the same network, and the printer you chose the one you meant. A printer shared from another Mac needs that Mac awake with sharing on. For USB, Apple says to hold Option and choose Apple menu > System Information: a printer listed there that still doesn’t work points to its own documentation.

The printer and the queue. Status lights normal, paper loaded and not jammed, enough ink or toner. An icon next to the printer’s name in the Printer pop-up menu shows its status, for example whether it is paused, offline or unavailable; Apple’s troubleshooting page says to click the Print Center icon in the Dock to open the queue, resume a paused printer or job, and, for a job that blocks the queue because of an error, select that job and use the button Apple shows for it.

The software. Try printing from another app, such as TextEdit. Check the driver version in System Settings > Printers & Scanners and contact the manufacturer to know whether it is the latest; Apple says an incompatible driver message may mean installing Rosetta. If printing problems come with software that uses Print Dialog Extensions, Apple says to turn them off with the Use Generic Printer Features checkbox, under Options & Supplies for the printer in Printers & Scanners.

Last. Add the printer again, and delete the old queue if the new one prints. Apple calls resetting the printing system the last resort: Control-click in the Printers list and choose Reset Printing System, which deletes all printers, completed jobs and presets.