imac can't see usb printer

Question

Level 1

4 points

imac can't see usb printer

I'm a total newbie to the world of apple and OSX......When I received my new imac a few weeks ago, installing my Canon Multifunction printer (MP 800) was a breeze under ML 10.8.2. It of course recognized that the printer was connected, said "Do you want me to downlaod software and install the printer" or words to that effect and in the blink of an eye the job was done!

Well my wife has on more than one occassion kept borrowing the usb cable out the mac for her laptop to use the printer. This morning wanted to use the printer connected back to the imac but it's status was constantly offline. I've ended up reseting the printing system and now my imac for love or money can't see my MP 800 at all ! Not through connecting and any kind of auto detect. I've tried system pref/print & Scan + sign to add a printer but there is nothing in the list. It doesn't seem to know the printer is there. Has the borrowing of usb out of the mac upset it somehow? Has the fact that 2 or 3 days ago I updated to 10.8.3 seemingly without a hitch caused a problem, or is something else a miss. Can anyone help a rookie?

iMac (27-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.3), MP 800 printer

Posted on Mar 24, 2013 10:12 AM

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Answer 1

Mar 24, 2013 10:20 AM in response to kezman50

Two ideas:

Check the Canon site for a new driver - there have been others reporting printer drivers (not necessarily Canon) needing updates.

Turn the printer off for a few minutes, and follow the directions in the printer's manual for resetting.

Long term, you could network the two computers, and set up Printer sharing. That way you won't need to unplug the cable, the printer can remain connected to just one of the Macs.

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Answer 2

den.thed

Level 10

92,956 points

Mar 24, 2013 11:16 AM in response to kezman50

1. Check to make sure that the printer cable is firmly plugged into the printer.

2. Reconnect the printer to the laptop and see if it is working there.

3. Try a new or different printer cable.

4. Check the USB ports on your iMac with a different USB device (hard drive, flashdrive, camera, iPod, etc.)

If your USB ports are not working with other devices, then your USB overload protection has most likely tripped.

To reset the USB ports > Reset the System Management Controller

1. Shut down the computer.

2. Unplug the computer's power cord.

3. Wait fifteen seconds.

4. Attach the computer's power cord.

5. Wait five seconds, then press the power button to turn on the compute

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