Can't enable double-sided printing on Canon MP230

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Level 1

0 points

Can't enable double-sided printing on Canon MP230

Hi all,

I'm currently running OSX 10.9.5 on a mid-2013 MacBook Air and have hooked it up to a Canon Pixma MP230 3-in-1 printer. This printer has a built-in manual two-sided printing function, where the user flips the pages for the printer to print on both sides. This feature was working great right about until a few months ago, and suddenly the option is no longer showing up when I attempt to print out of Google Chrome, nor is it available when I try to print using the personalised printer dialog.

My current printer driver is 11.7.1.0, which came out in Sept 2014. I don't know how to downgrade to an older driver (I have tried several times!).

The option for two-sided printing is simply greyed out on the printer dialog, and there is no option to turn it on in the printer setting (no driver tab).

Please see what I mean with the images below:

I've searched far and wide on the internet on how to remedy this, but as I stated above, I don't have a driver tab on my printer setting, so this cannot be simply "turned on" somewhere in the settings, because I did nothing to "turn it off" in the first place. Note: other printers display a two-sided printing option on my laptop, so it's this particular printer and driver that are the issue.

If anyone has ANY clue on what to do here, I would greatly appreciate it!

MacBook Air (13-inch Mid 2013), OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Dec 10, 2014 4:17 PM

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Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,739 points

Dec 10, 2014 4:58 PM in response to Cute Stargal

First, check the printer specification to make sure it's capable of duplex printing. If it is, there should be a setting in the Finishing tab of the print dialog. Otherwise, check the Canon website for a driver update—sometimes you'll get a newer version that way than from Software Update. Reportedly, Canon tech support sometimes advises customers to uninstall the existing software before installing an update.

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Answer 2

sberman

Level 10

272,280 points

Dec 10, 2014 10:03 PM in response to Cute Stargal

Interestingly, my Epson Workforce printer exhibits similar symptoms.

However, while the "Layout" section of the print dialog is grayed out just as yours is, clicking "Layout" and changing it to "Output Settings" enables the two sided options!!

You might give that a try.

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Answer 3

Cute Stargal Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 11, 2014 3:11 AM in response to Linc Davis

Hi Linc, thank you for your input. This is the newest driver, hence why I stated it stopped working a few months ago (in Sept 2014).

The printer printed double-sided just fine until then, and the printer does support it (manually, not automatically).

I don't have a "finishing" tab on my printer dialog.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled the printer and the driver several times, to no avail.

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Answer 4

Cute Stargal Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 11, 2014 3:13 AM in response to sberman

Hi sberman, thanks for your input. You have an Epson printer - I just checked and this is a feature only for drivers for those printers. They do not appear in Canon drivers - I don't have an "output setting" tab in my printer dialog.

The option for two-sided printing is clearly visible, it is simply greyed out and unavailable for use, specifically after the software update in Sept. There is no other location in the printer dialog where I may select double-sided printing (only as seen in the photos).

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Answer 5

Jeff Shenk

Level 4

3,005 points

Dec 11, 2014 5:53 AM in response to Cute Stargal

According to the manual, double sided printing is not available on a Mac:

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