Canon MX850 Driver for 10.6 - Released on Canon website

Canon has made a number of drivers available for their latest model inkjets and AIO's. This version is later than the 10.19 that was shipped with SL. Checking the content for the driver for my MP980, it does include the canonijnetwork plugin that was missing from the 10.19 driver, meaning that you can now add the network printer without having to install an older version of the driver.

Note that when adding the network printer you do have to wait several seconds until the printer model appears in the Default browser view.

They have also added an updated scanner driver, but given that this was working previously with SL then I am not sure why this has been updated...

Pahu

Could someone explain what the difference between the cups driver (now upgraded) and the non-cups version (not yet upgraded)?

The so-called Canon CUPS driver uses plugins and filters written in Cocoa and are meant to closely interact with the core printing system in OS X, known as CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System). The non-cups drivers, such as those used in 10.5 and earlier, have plugins and filters written in Carbon, which is an older language.

With 10.6 moving to a 64bit system, the vendors needed to write the drivers using the newer code so that they were more compatible with the new platform. If you use a driver that has Carbon-based plugins, such as the print dialog extensions (PDEs) and you are using a 64bit application, such as TextEdit, then the PDE's will be shown with a line through them, meaning they are not compatible.

Note that the reason I say so-called is that Canon does not appear to have completely stuck with using the core files of CUPS for printing. There are still a number of Canon files that are installed by the driver so that you can perform certain functions that are typically not available to CUPS drivers, such as printing on CD's. An example of true CUPS drivers are the Gutenprint drivers included with a customized installation of Snow Leopard.

Hope this helps.

Pahu

Don't switch to Snow leopard just yet!!!

I upgraded and have lost the ability to print to my Cannon MX850, which is on an ethernet port on my D-Link ADSL wireless hub.

I tried to add it again, but it keeps showing up as a scanner, and won't let me print. I have downloaded the latest drivers from Canon's website, to no avail.

Funnily enough, I also have Windows XP running under Parallels, and am able to print when in Windows!I also have a Dell laptop running Windows Vista (which i was going to switch to a macbook air, but now have second thoughts..!)

So it's not my network.

Any suggestions are most welcome.

I also replied in the other Canon-related thread. On (only) one of the three Macs I have installed Snow Leopard on, the new Canon drivers were unable to find my network printer. That Mac is the only one I have Parallels on. I found that I had to disable the two virtual network adaptors that Parallels creates (so the only active network adaptor was my "real" ethernet connection), then add the printer, and it then immediately found the network Canon printer - then re-enable the Parallels adaptors afterwards.

I upgraded to Snow Leopard last night. The MX850 driver that came with it didn't work. I downloaded the update from Canon and can print and scan over a LAN.

However, I can't scan using the scan button on the 850. My Macbook doesn't show up. My wife's non Snow Leopard Mac does show up.

So far unable to find a solution and am waiting to hear from Canon.

Anyone else had this problem?

Following the previous advice worked for my Canon MX850 which is on my home LAN:

1. Reinstall the original Canon CD Software (Driver & Utilities)
2. Download & install the updates from Canon's site (Driver and IJ Network Utilities)
3. Go to System Prefs & choose Add Printer
4. Select "More Printers"
5. Choose the Canon IJ Network
6. Select your printer which should appear
7. Click OK etc

Worked perfectly.

I received an email from Canon yesterday.

They issued a software (not driver) upgrade on 9/4/2009.

I downloaded it last night and can now scan using the scan button on the 850.

The download/installation instructions in the email were incorrect, but it was easy to figure out and install.

Hi, maybe someone can help me with my slighly different problem:
after installing 10.6 and the canaon software printing and scanning all works fine, except of one thing:
The Printer Options "Quality & Media", Color Options, etc. won't work.
But these options are very important for me, to choose different papers etc.

i allready installed the latest driver form Canon.
Any ideas?

I noticed the same thing on my system with Preview. If you have Adobe Acrobat Pro, however, you can access these settings for PDF files

Likely the driver you used for your printer is not from the Snow Leopard DVD or Apple Software Update. I guess the driver you are using only supports 32-bit applications, so if you run your applications in 32-bit mode, you will be fine.

I had the same problem, and installing the OS 10.6.1 update and downloading the latest drivers from Canon didn't help. I switched from connecting via an ethernet network to a USB connection and everything works - duplex printing, quality&media, color options, etc...

-c

Well I was finally successful in being able to get my MX850 to be recognised by my MacBook.

First download the 10.6 compatible drivers from the Canon Website.

Install the MX850 CUPs printer (no restart needed)
Instal the Scanner Driver (asks for restart)
Install the IJ Network Tool (asks for restart)

On restart the Canon IJ Network load starts, select LAN but then no printer appears. Close application.

The Canon IJ Network Scan utility is accessible from a menu bar icon.
Select "Open Settings"
Then "Register Scanner", hopefully your scanner will appear in this list (you may need to turn of your firewall to get it to work).

Open up "print fax" system preferences.

After a few seconds you will see the MX850 appear in the list as a "scanner".
On one computer at this point the MX850 printer appeared as a ijprinter and I could select it.
After a few seconds more hopefully a "more printers" button will appear in the bottom left of this window. If it does click on it and a window will appear (it may default to "Canon IJ Network" or you may have to select it. Your printer should appear in the list select it and click on "add".

Hopefully this will then have added the printer.

You can also add the "scanner" using bonjour and you will then be able to scan into image capture directly.

Now for the tricky bit. Unless you can get the "more printers" button to appear (or by a miracle the printer appeared in the initial bit you are stuck. I tried many many variations of installs on my MacBook without success.

I looked in the /library/printers/canon on the Mac with a successfully installation and noticed that there was an addition folder in here (other than the BJPrinter folder) called "IJScanner" so I thought perhaps something didn't get installed correctly. I copied the whole "canon" folder and replaced the "canon" folder on the Mac that wouldn't register the MX850, restarted and low and behold the "more printers" button appeared and I was able to select the MX850 as above.

Note if you then turn the firewall back on and try to scan from the scanner back to the Mac you will see a window appear saying "scanning" and behind it a dialog box asking you to allow incoming connections. If you are not very quick in clicking "allow" (and you should be in an administrator user for the first time you do this) scanning will fail.

It now appears to work.

The mystery is what exactly is needed to make the "more printers" window to appear.

Hope this helps