Unable to communicate with Canon MP760 through AirPort Express

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Unable to communicate with Canon MP760 through AirPort Express

Hi,

I have a Canon MP760 printer that I'm trying to setup with an AirPort Express. I have used several different printers with this router before but this one is turning into quite a headache. The printer works fine when I connect directly to my MBP with USB but when I try to add it using the Print & Scan prefPane I get the error: "Unable to communicate with the printer at this time." I've tried various troubleshooting tips that I've found online (unplugging, restarting, repairing permissions, etc.) with no luck. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

I'm using Lion on a MBP with an AirPort Express 802.11g.

Thanks in advance,

Dan

Mac OS X (10.7.1)

Posted on Sep 5, 2011 4:39 PM

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Answer 1

Tesserax

Level 10

158,592 points

Sep 5, 2011 6:59 PM in response to dfm12

Unfortunately, not all USB printers are compatible with AirPort base stations. In addition, the AirPort's USB port does not support the "advanced" printer functions, like scanning, copying or faxing, of multi-function printers.

To see if your printer is compatible, take a look at thisiFelix Unofficial AirPort Printer Compatibility link. If your printer isn't listed, it doesn't necessarily mean it won't work, but simply that it has not been verified. iFelix also provides the following workaround for printers not on the list that would certainly be worth a try.

Also you can try this Apple Tech Support article to see if it will help: Printer troubleshooting for AirPort Base Stations and Time Capsule

Finally, check out this IBM support article to see if your printer is listed as having a Postscript or PCL3 interface. If it does, then it will most likely work with the AirPort's USB port. Printers that use the "HP LIDIL" interface must be connected to a computer directly and will not work.

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