Canon iP5200R on a network

I have a problem with the iP5200R as well - it worked perfectly as a wireless printer under Tiger 10.4.8 connected through a Netgear router. On installing 10.6 - no printer detected. I reinstalled the printer and it prints if connected via USB port. However if I use the Canon network tool in Libraries folder, the printer is detected wirelessly and the communication test confirms that the printer is available wirelessly.

However the Print & fax pane under system preferences shows the Printer as "offline' when the USB cable is not plugged in. I have noticed that the printers URL starts with usb://Canon/iP5200R?serial=902B5D. I suspect that this is incorrect but I don't know how to change it and further more there doesn't appear to be a way to change it.

As an aside the Canon printer utility tool in the Library folder crashes and generates an auto report every time I try to open it.

I've managed to get a bit further on. This morning I did a bit of checking and the IJ network tool in Libraries was listed as version 1.x. I checked the Canon UK site and downloaded the tool which had a version listed as 2.6.0. This appears to be same functionally as the previous tool.

I also checked the usa.canon.com site and downloaded the latest driver (10.26.0) posted in 01/09/09. After a restart the printer utility app now works - it detects the printer as being on a wireless network and more crucially I can print test pages and detect ink levels over my wireless network. What I can't do however is print from any apps (iWork09, Safari, Mail or NeoOffice). The print and fax pane in system preferences still shows the printer as 'offline' and the URL still reads the same (starts with USB://)

The Canon UK site has a note in its support pages (item32) that "The software to support Mac OS X v10.6 will be sequentially uploaded to our download website 2 or 3 weeks after the Mac OS X v10.6 release" I will be interested to see if this has the same version number as the driver on the USA site.

I have been able to print to my iP5200R when it is configured for wireless. This was using the same 10.26.0 driver, which I got via the Australian site but is the same as the US because Japan hosts a global download for inkjet printers. So when the UK gets around to updating their site you will be getting the same driver.

I am curious to know how you added the printer queue. I found that after selecting the default browser view the iP5200R eventually appeared with its Kind showing canonijnetwork. Previously with 10.5 you would add the network printer via More Printers > Canon IJ Network, but I don't have the Canon menu in my 10.6 setup, not even after installing the Network Utility v2.66.

I think that with the URL showing USB, it is still indicating that the connection to the printer is via the USB port of the wireless router, rather than being a direct network connection to the wireless of the printer. If you select to add the printer again, but wait for a while with the default view displayed, does the iP5200R appear in this view with the Kind showing canonijnetwork?

Pahu

The Canon support site URL is http://www.canon.co.uk/Support/ConsumerProducts/products/printers/InkJet/PIXMA_iPseries/iP5200R.aspx

This is for the FAQ's and the item I have quoted is number 32.

The applications can 'see' the printer when a request is made to print and the item appears in the print queue - the crux of the matter seems to be that I can't find how to tell the iMac to print to the network rather than the USB port, but the point still remains that requesting a nozzle check print works wirelessly and everything else doesn't.

I've just checked and the 10.26.0 driver is still not listed on the Canon UK site.

OK I Now have wireless Printing !!!!

Thanks Pahu, you provided the 'House' Epiphany moment.

I checked your suggestion about the 'add printer pane' and yes, after a few moments, the printer appeared as an iP5200r with its MAC address and the correct driver was automatically selected. What was missing was the location (the centre of the three fields) so I checked it and manually entered the local IP address for the printer on my network (the one that starts 192.168.) Lo and behold the printer then appeared as Idle with a green dot by the side of it.

HOWEVER there now appears to be a further problem: since the IP address is assigned to the printer automatically every time I switch it on (bearing in mind that there are other devices in the house that switch in and out of the network - xbox 360 & iPhone ) I would have to enter the correct IP address every time I switch it on.

I also noticed that the first print I requested (which was this topic in Safari ) appeared to cause some very strange behaviour in Safari - the pointer was flashing and hyperlinks could not be selected- so I am still not convinced that this is the unbreakable solution.

I am going to carry on checking and see what else I can come up with.

@ Pahu

I still have problems recognizing my wireless printer. Could you pls. explain in details how you managed to add the printer wireless? In 10.5.x it was easily added while hitting the "other printer" button. But in 10.6. this button is not available in the "add printer" "+" section. AFAIK the printer should appear in the standard/default section. But it won't.

Thanks

@ Pahu

I still have problems recognizing my wireless printer. Could you pls. explain in details how you managed to add the printer wireless? In 10.5.x it was easily added while hitting the "other printer" button. But in 10.6. this button is not available in the "add printer" "+" section. AFAIK the printer should appear in the standard/default section. But it won't.

Thanks

Message was edited by: seveneleven

I found that the printer would appear in the Default browser view, but you had to wait quit a while for it to appear - maybe as long as 30 seconds. When it did eventually appear, it had its name with its MAC address in brackets, such as (00.00.85.xx.xx.xx) and in the Kind column it showed 'canonijnetwork'.

Note that in order for the printer to appear this way you must have the version 10.26 driver installed. This is because the 'canonijnetwork' plugin was missing with the v10.19 drivers included with 10.6. By installing the v10.26 driver, or even installing the older CUPS driver for the iP5200R, the plugin is added and permits the printer to be found on the wireless network.

HTH

Pahu

This thread was helpful. FYI that as of now 10.26.1 driver is available for download:

http://software.canon-europe.com/software/0035847.asp

Must be the first time I've ever had to manually install a driver on OSX!