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User profile for user: Rocket88
Rocket88 Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Getting Windows PC to see wireless Airport Express printer in mixed network

I have a wireless network that has been working well. Base station is a SMC wireless router with two Macs connected via Ethernet, a MacBook and a Dell Windows XP joining in wirelessly. No problems. I recently added a Canon Pixma i4200 connected to an Airport Express in client mode. I set up the Airport Express via the MacBook and have no problem printing wireless to the Canon from the MacBook.

The question is how to set up the Dell Windows XP system to see the Canon printer? We tried installing the Canon print driver, but it really wants the printer to be plugged into the PC and won't complete the driver installation. We'll go ahead and plug it in for the setup I guess and then disconnect it. Since I already configured the Airport Express via the MacBook, I didn't want to try to set it up via the Dell PC, but is that likely to help?

This network is such a mixed bag, I think I'm lucky to have everything working as well as it does. Happy to be able to print wirelessly to the new Canon from the MacBook, but my wife wants to be able to print to this printer from her Dell upstairs. The nice feature of the Canon is that it prints duplex.

thanks for any help
Rick

MacBook, iMacG5, G4, Dell PC Mac OS X (10.4.7) Wireless home network: SMC wireless router base, Airport Express remote driving USB printer

Posted on Jul 31, 2006 12:27 PM

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6 replies
User profile for user: Rocket88
Rocket88 Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Jul 31, 2006 1:40 PM in response to Rocket88

Having poked around a bit further I have checked out several promising articles on the iFelix website. Great resource! We will proceed by setting up the printer connected locally to the XP PC, then follow the instructions provided for using the Add Printer Wizard and Add Standard TCP/IP Printer Port Wizard. Hopefully this will work.

Rick
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User profile for user: iFelix
iFelix
User level: Level 8
35,155 points

Jul 31, 2006 1:49 PM in response to Rocket88

The question is how to set up the Dell Windows XP
system to see the Canon printer? We tried installing
the Canon print driver, but it really wants the
printer to be plugged into the PC and won't complete
the driver installation.


Do that first, connect the printer to the PC and ensure it is installed and working.

And then connect the printer back to the Airport.

Printing from a Windows XP PC to a printer attached to an Airport Extreme Base Station or Airport Express
http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/1004.html

Printing from a Windows XP PC to a printer attached to an Airport Extreme Base Station or Airport Express using Bonjour
http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/1008.html

Problems with finding Printer Driver on Windows XP when using printer connected to Airport Extreme or Express
http://www.ifelix.co.uk/tech/1012.html
User uploaded file
iFelix
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User profile for user: Rocket88
Rocket88 Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Aug 1, 2006 7:06 PM in response to iFelix

Hello again,
Well, my wife is more comfortable in Windows (and somewhat skeptical of anything Apple) so we followed the Windows instructions rather than the Bonjour route (sigh...). It was relatively painless to set up, and we can now print, duplex even from both my MacBook and her Dell. The only anomaly is that when printing from Windows with "Paper Feed Switch" selected in the driver, it will override the fact that the printer itself is set to print from the cassette and it will try to print from the upper paper feed. So it doesn't want to respect the paper feed switch setting at the printer. I was able to manually select "Cassette" from the Print Preview window and it did respect my command and print correctly. Anyway, as long as we keep paper loaded in both upper feed and lower cassette we will be OK printing from both printers.

thanks for all the help
Rick
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Getting Windows PC to see wireless Airport Express printer in mixed network

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