How to bypass installer and install outdated Dell printer/scanner drivers on Mac?

Question

Level 1

4 points

How to bypass installer and install outdated Dell printer/scanner drivers on Mac?

I am new to Mac OS having been a business Windows user and, more recently, a personal Chrome OS user.

I have a fully functional Dell printer circa 2011.

I checked on the Dell support network and downloaded the Mac OS driver package. However Installer blocks the install offering me the option of Cancel or Move to Bin. I presume from that the 2012 driver is so far out of date that Installer does not recognise it.

The printer is networked (ethernet) connected and I have managed to get the printer function working using the generic settings for a printer.

However there is no obvious way of getting the scanner working. There is a Dell support forum and, last year, a user asked that the driver be updated for the same printer. Of course Dell have not replied.

If I could bypass the Installer block on the driver package is it likely that the scanner software would install properly and actually work?

If so, how do I bypass Installer?

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 15.3

Posted on Mar 31, 2025 4:36 AM

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Answer 1

KiltedTim

Level 10

212,178 points

Apr 1, 2025 8:21 AM in response to Navrig

The installer and drivers are undoubtedly 32 bit, which means they can not be used on a modern version of macOS, which is 64 bit only.

It's likely the generic drivers included with macOS are as good as it's going to get. That printer is no longer supported. The manufacturer is responsible for updating drivers for the device. That's unlikely to happen.

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Answer 2

Jan Hedlund

Level 7

24,061 points

Mar 31, 2025 10:17 AM in response to Navrig

Thank you for the information.

First of all, regarding printing, the Dell B1265dnf is listed as a supported model in About AirPrint - Apple Support. This means that it can be used without additional printer drivers, provided that the printer and the Mac computer are connected to the same network (Wi-Fi router). This printer would use Ethernet to one of the LAN ports of the router. AirPrint works with wireless (Wi-Fi) or wired (Ethernet) connections. You should also be able to print from an iPhone or iPad connected to that (Wi-Fi) network.

Add a printer to your printer list so you can use it on Mac – Apple Support (UK)

Use AirPrint to print from your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

Scan images in Image Capture on Mac – Apple Support (UK)

If your device doesn’t work with Image Capture on Mac – Apple Support (UK)

Gatekeeper and runtime protection in macOS – Apple Support (UK)

https://www.dell.com/support/product-details/en-uk/product/dell-b1265dnf/overview

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Answer 3

Jan Hedlund

Level 7

24,061 points

Mar 31, 2025 12:11 PM in response to Navrig

To begin with, you may want to check whether a printer firmware upgrade has been made available.

http://downloads.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_printers_main/esuprt_printers_mono_laser/dell-b1265dnf_User%27s%20Guide_en-us.pdf (page 187)

The information about Macintosh scanning (page 171) in the above user's guide has some instructions, and refers to Image Capture. However, it is difficult to say whether the software download that you mentioned contains an ICA driver or not.

For general information, see also Safely open apps on your Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 4

Navrig Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 31, 2025 11:06 AM in response to Jan Hedlund

Many thanks for this.

I installed the printer using the name printed on the network diagnostics page from the printer. This confirmed the printer model/IP/MAC etc.

However when I go to Image Capture there is no scanner to select. Both Devices and Shared show 0 (zero) and are greyed out.

The help pages you linked suggest that my Mac Air needs the up to date scanner software installed:

The Mac OS drivers are massively out of date and won't be accepted by Installer, hence my first post.

Am I missing a stage in the process?

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Answer 5

Jan Hedlund

Level 7

24,061 points

Mar 31, 2025 5:12 AM in response to Navrig

You do not say which exact Dell printer model it is.

Apple's Image Capture can often be used for scanning, but an ICA driver may not exist in this case.

If necessary, a (paid) third-party driver called VueScan (https://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/dell.html) could perhaps be worth testing.

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Answer 6

Navrig Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 1, 2025 8:10 AM in response to Jan Hedlund

Thanks again.

The last update for printer firmware was 2012. I searched on the Dell website and found a suggested driver package for the printer for Mac OS. The latest was 2017.

https://www.dell.com/support/product-details/en-uk/product/dell-b1265dnf/drivers

I downloaded it.

I opened Installer and had to us the "Install anyway" option twice during the install. After the second use the install failed. The error message told me to contact the suppler.

Looks like I can only use the printer facility using the generic drivers.

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Answer 7

Jan Hedlund

Level 7

24,061 points

Apr 2, 2025 1:49 AM in response to Navrig

The Samsung SCX-4729FD appears to be very similar to your printer/scanner. Samsung printers are now part of HP. The HP support site shows a separate Mac scan driver, but only for OS X 10.10 Yosemite.

It is interesting to note that VueScan seems to support SCX-472x models (https://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/samsung_scx_472x.html). So, VueScan could possibly be worth at least a test after all (a trial version should be available) despite the aforementioned technical information about the B1265dnf.