If your printer driver stopped working the day you updated to macOS 27, and started working again after you installed something called Rosetta, you are not alone. Here is what Rosetta is, why it fixes the driver, and why this is the last macOS that will let it.
What happened to the driver
Most printer drivers for the Mac were written for Intel processors. When Apple moved the Mac to its own chips in 2020, it shipped Rosetta, a translation layer that lets software built for Intel run on Apple silicon. An Intel-only printer driver has been running through Rosetta on every Apple silicon Mac since, usually without anyone noticing.
macOS 27 changes one thing: Rosetta is no longer installed by default. A clean install of macOS 27, or a Mac set up new, has no Rosetta until something asks for it. The first Intel-only app or driver you open asks, and you can install Rosetta on the spot. Until you do, the driver does not load, and the printer either prints nothing or disappears from the list.
The fix today: install Rosetta
If your driver needs Rosetta, macOS tells you. Open any Intel-only app and click Install in the dialog, or install Rosetta from the Terminal:
softwareupdate --install-rosetta
To see which software on your Mac still needs it, open System Settings → General → About → Intel-based Apps → Details. A printer driver listed there is one that will stop working when Rosetta goes.
Once Rosetta is installed, the driver loads and the printer prints as before. This is a complete fix on macOS 27.
Why the fix ends with macOS 28
Apple has said that macOS 27 is the final release to support Rosetta. From macOS 28, Rosetta remains only for a narrow set of older games and nothing else. An Intel-only printer driver will not run on macOS 28 at all, with or without Rosetta.
So the question is not whether your printer driver will stop working, but when: at the macOS 28 update, for anyone who updates. The printer itself is fine. The paper path, the toner or ink, the mechanics will work for years. What goes away is the software between the printer and macOS.
What to do before then
Check whether your printer needs a driver at all
A printer that supports AirPrint, IPP Everywhere or Mopria prints from macOS with no driver and is not affected. Most printers sold since 2020 do. Open System Settings → Printers & Scanners, add the printer, and see whether macOS offers a driver of its own for it. If it does, you can remove the vendor driver now and nothing changes.
Look for an updated driver from the manufacturer
Some manufacturers have rebuilt their drivers for Apple silicon. Check the support page for your model. If a native version exists, install it and the Rosetta question goes away. For many older models there is none, and there will not be one: the business case for a new driver for a printer sold a decade ago is thin.
Use a driver that does not need Rosetta
PrintCast Driver runs natively on Apple silicon and on Intel Macs, and needs neither a vendor driver nor Rosetta. It drives printers that speak PCL5 or PostScript, which covers most laser printers and many office inkjets, and sends each job straight to the printer. It is independent software, not affiliated with any printer manufacturer.
Whether it can drive your printer is something you can check in a minute: install it, and it lists every printer your Mac can see and marks the ones it can drive. The free trial prints to the printer before you buy anything, and PrintCast is printing for customers today.
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PrintCast Driver gets your printer printing again in minutes.
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Keep a Mac on macOS 27
If none of the above fits and the printer matters more than the update, a Mac on macOS 27 with Rosetta installed keeps printing. Apple has in recent years kept providing security updates to the two previous macOS versions, so this buys time, not a permanent answer.
The short version
- An Intel-only printer driver runs through Rosetta on Apple silicon.
- macOS 27 installs Rosetta on demand instead of by default, so the driver stops until you install it.
- macOS 27 is the last release with Rosetta; from macOS 28 the driver will not run.
- Check whether your printer prints without a driver, look for a native driver, or use a driver that runs natively, before the macOS 28 update.
Download PrintCast Driver from printcast.app and see whether it lists your printer.