Hello again,
Thank you for the updated information.
>did go online to canon help & paid $20 fee for 30 day support
I assume that this was the official Canon support. There are several dubious third-party online "support" sites, so be careful. As mentioned by Canon USA: https://www.usa.canon.com/about-us/to-our-customers/official-canon-product-support .
>also tried cleaning printer heads from canon utility & error
What happens if you turn the printer off and then on, and try printing the nozzle check pattern (exactly as described on page 141 in the above manual) using the Stop button on the printer? This should normally work even with a "standalone" printer, without a computer connection, and would be a basic test to rule out any external influence.
>not sure I understand the difference feature for the blue light wifi or AirPrint features
The blue light would indicate how the wireless (Wi-Fi) connection as such is working.
Apple's AirPrint technology on the other hand can be used with wireless or wired (Ethernet) network connections, and in some cases even USB, and should be looked upon more as a printing method. AirPrint relies upon Bonjour/mDNS for device discovery and IPP for printing. The idea is to make it possible for Mac computers and iPhones/iPads to print without the need for additional software (drivers for Macs and apps for iOS/iPadOS devices). In order to enable this, an AirPrint-supported printer must follow certain rules and work in harmony with macOS, iOS and iPadOS.
Xerox has a white paper Enabling Apple® AirPrint® with Your Xerox® AltaLink® Multifunction Printer. The general technical information about how AirPrint works, including details about Bonjour/mDNS, could perhaps be of interest to you.
https://www.office.xerox.com/latest/XOGWP-18U.PDF
Do you have access to an iPhone or iPad? If so, you could also use such a device to test AirPrint printing via the router (provided, of course, that the printer per se is working).
Use AirPrint to print from your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support