http://bugs.winehq.org/show_bug.cgi?id=17354
--- Comment #15 from David Baumgold singingwolfboy@gmail.com 2011-01-01 10:49:15 CST --- (In reply to comment #14)
I see the problem. In MacBool Pro OS/x 10.6.5 the /etc/printcap file is not present, however the /etc/cups/printers.conf file is being updated to reflect any printer that is defined. The creation of /etc/printcap depends on the CUPS configuration (according to http://cups.org/doc-1.3/ref-cupsd-conf.html#Printcap). As far as I can tell, CUPS in OS X is configured not to create the file by default. If you manually create a valid /etc/printcap file, WINE printing will work.
Interesting. According to the OS X man page for cupsd.conf, the printcap file is only needed for "legacy applications": http://developer.apple.com/library/mac/#documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPa... It doesn't say anything about whether or not cupsd generates a printcap file by default, but I haven't touched my cupsd.conf, and no printcap file appears on my system.
It seems that the workaround would be to add the line "Printcap /etc/printcap" to /etc/cupsd.conf, but perhaps a better solution would be for Wine to query CUPS directly, rather than going through the "legacy" printcap file. I know nothing about how all of this works, or even if it's possible, but if Apple says that printcap is for legacy use -- and Apple *owns* CUPS now -- then there must be another, better-supported way.