Is the Epson ET 4850 Printer compatible with the Mac Mini M4 computer?

digi4ever wrote:

I have had an Epson ET 3750 for 7 yrs. It worked fine with the Mac Studio M1 just fine. I received a Mac Mini M4 for Christmas and when I recently did a software update on the printer it came back with a warning. "Legacy System Extension - Existing software on your system loaded a system extension signed by "Seiko Epson Corp" Which will be incompatible with a future version of macOS. Contact the developer for support. And of course I am having print head issues now with the 3750 an am wondering if the newer model will be ok to purchase.

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/674bc731-c65b-45bf-a726-79886e92e9eb

Epson support or their website is the best place to go to find out if their product is compatible with other devices.

I have been using a new Epson et-4850 with my new iMac M4 for 2 months now. I've had numerous issues to include legacy extensions issue.

Epson tech support first said to simply ignore the warning. When I questioned their response, they claimed it's not their issue and referred me to Apple support. I am new to Epson and they did not give me much confidence in their tech support.

Apple's response was to share a tech support bulletin stating they have been warning printer manufacturers about upcoming MacOS system updates. I have attached the bulletin. Apple Bulletin

I'm returning this printer... Good luck.

FWIW, Apple has been warning vendors for years to transition from system extensions to a different driver interface change that will take place at some point in a future macOS. Some printer vendors have done the transition some, like Epson have not.

I purchased an Epson printer last year and they are still using system extension drivers so buying a new printer will not change the upcoming issue.

Also, when Epson finally decides to update their drivers, there is no guarantee that they will support a 7 year old printer as they are in the business of selling printers.