HELP CENTER
Install PDFWriter
Install CUPS-PDF
CUPS = Common UNIX Printing System
HELP CENTER
Install PDFWriter
Install CUPS-PDF
CUPS = Common UNIX Printing System
PDFWriter is the BEST option for Silicon Processor based Macs
Installing PDFWriter PDF Printer on Your Mac
(macOS Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma)
This guide shows you exactly what to do, step by step.
Follow each step in order. Do not skip anything.
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STEP 1 — DOWNLOAD
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Download here: https://bestinspectors.net/products/Other/RWTS-PDFwriter.pkg
Or, to ensure that you have the latest version, go to this address:
https://github.com/rodyager/RWTS-PDFwriter/releases/latest
Scroll down to the section labeled Assets.
Click the file that ends with .pkg to download it.
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STEP 2 — OPEN THE INSTALLER
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Open Finder.
Open the Downloads folder.
Double‑click the downloaded .pkg file.
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STEP 3 — IF MAC'S SECURITY BLOCKS THE INSTALLATION
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If you see a security message, do this:
Open System Settings.
Open Privacy and Security.
Scroll down until you see a message about the installer being blocked.
Click Allow or Open Anyway.
Run the installer again.
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STEP 4 — COMPLETE THE INSTALLATION
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Follow the installer prompts:
Click Continue.
Click Install.
Enter your Mac password if asked.
Click Close when finished.
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STEP 5 — VERIFY THE INSTALLATION
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Open System Settings.
Open Printers and Scanners.
Confirm that a printer named PDFwriter is listed.
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STEP 6 — TEST PDFWriter
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To create a PDF, open any document.
Choose File, then Print.
Select PDFwriter as the printer.
Click Print.
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STEP 7 — LOCATE YOUR PDF
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PDFWriter will give you an opportunity to select a PDF folder during the installation. Your PDFs will be created in the folder you chose.
If you did not choose a folder, PEDWriter will use a default setting to create a folder:
Open Finder.
Press Command+Shift+G.
Paste this folder path:
/Users/Shared/PDFwriter
Press Return.
Your PDF file will be in that folder.
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DONE!
You now have a real “Print to PDF” printer on your Mac.
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CUPS-PDF is only recommended for Intel Processor based Macs
INSTALLING THE PDF PRINTER ON YOUR MAC
(macOS Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma)
This guide shows you exactly what to do, step by step.
Follow each step in order. Do not skip anything.
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STEP 1 — OPEN THE TERMINAL PROGRAM
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1. Click the Finder (smiling face icon).
2. Click “Applications”.
3. Open the “Utilities” folder.
4. Double‑click “Terminal”.
A window will open with a blinking cursor.
This is where you will paste the commands.
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STEP 2 — INSTALL HOMEBREW (REQUIRED)
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1. Click once inside the Terminal window.
2. Copy the line below.
3. Paste it into Terminal.
4. Press the Return (Enter) key.
Paste this line:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
5. When it finishes, copy and paste the two lines below:
echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"
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STEP 3 — INSTALL THE PDF PRINTER SOFTWARE (CUPS‑PDF)
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1. Click inside the Terminal window again.
2. Copy the line below.
3. Paste it into Terminal.
4. Press Return.
brew install cups-pdf
Wait until it finishes.
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STEP 4 — CONNECT THE PDF PRINTER TO macOS
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1. Copy the line below.
2. Paste it into Terminal.
3. Press Return.
sudo ln -sf /opt/homebrew/libexec/cups/backend/cups-pdf /usr/libexec/cups/backend/cups-pdf
4. Type your Mac password when asked.
(You will NOT see the characters as you type. This is normal.)
5. Press Return.
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STEP 5 — ENABLE THE PRINTER SETUP PAGE
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1. Copy the line below.
2. Paste it into Terminal.
3. Press Return.
sudo cupsctl WebInterface=yes
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STEP 6 — ADD THE PDF PRINTER
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1. Open Safari.
2. Click in the address bar.
3. Type or paste this address:
http://localhost:631/admin
4. Press Return.
5. Click “Add Printer”.
6. Select “CUPS-PDF”.
7. Click “Continue”.
8. For the driver, choose:
Generic PostScript Printer
9. Click “Add Printer”.
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STEP 7 — WHERE YOUR PDF FILES WILL APPEAR
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Every time you print to the new PDF printer, your files will appear in:
Your Home Folder → PDF
This folder is created automatically.
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STEP 8 — TEST THE PRINTER
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1. Open any document (Word, Pages, PDF, etc.).
2. Choose File → Print.
3. Select the printer named:
CUPS-PDF (or the name you chose)
4. Click Print.
5. Open your Home folder.
6. Open the “PDF” folder.
7. Your new PDF will be there.
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DONE!
You now have a real “Print to PDF” printer on your Mac.
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CUPS = Common UNIX Printing System
What it means in plain English
CUPS is the built‑in printing system used by:
macOS
Linux
Many UNIX‑based systems
It handles everything related to printing on a Mac:
Printer drivers
Print queues
Virtual printers (like CUPS‑PDF)
Network printers
Print job management
The web interface at http://localhost:631
Apple actually owns and maintains CUPS, and macOS uses it under the hood for all printing tasks.
Why this matters for CUPS‑PDF
CUPS‑PDF is not a standalone app.
It is a backend plugin that adds a “virtual printer” to the CUPS system.
That’s why:
There is no app
There is no DMG
There is no installer
It must be installed into the CUPS backend folder
It must be registered with CUPS
You must add the printer through the CUPS web interface
Because CUPS‑PDF is literally a CUPS backend, not a normal application.