Printing issues

[Anonymouse]

Ooh. It's been a long time since I installed a printer...and I miss the days when you could just plug the damn thing in.

I am trying to get a Canon Pixma TS705a to connect to wireless. The annoying thing is that the damn thing can see the router, just not connect to it. I tried to input the password manually (far too fiddly a process IMO, it is not straightforward). No go. I think I'll buy a USB cable and forget wireless, and if that doesn't work - as I pessimistically expect it not to - the printer is going back to Amazon!

After decades in IT, I remain convinced that the one thing more guaranteed to cause problems than any other is printing. There is nothing, NOTHING in IT more certain to give a user grief than printing. You'd think we'd have it down pat by now. But no.

I don't recall my late sister's Canon being this much trouble (although that did have a physical parallel port connection). I just downloaded and installed the software, and away we went.

Ah, great days...

[thenry]

You might have to change security on the wireless network, WPA etc.

[Jaymoss]

This printer is fully networkable it appears and has Ethernet is there any way you can have it near your router? I hate wifi printers with a passion and only buy one that will connect wired to my network. Now this might sound nutty but I bought a Mesh system just for this purpose (plus it does improve wifi upstairs as a by product) and connect my printer to a Mesh node which I know is still wifi to the main Mesh node but it means the printer is fully networked and I never have any issues

[Carth]

A couple of months ago we dumped our old Pixma (PSU buggered) and I could never get that to work wireless. All done through wired . . which seemed a waste of money for the damn printer.

[idi banashapan]

is it possible you are attempting to connect to a 5Ghz wifi SSID, but the printer can only utilise 2.4Ghz? A lot of IoT devices and peripherals can still only connect to 2.4Ghz

Originally Posted by idi banashapan

is it possible you are attempting to connect to a 5Ghz wifi SSID, but the printer can only utilise 2.4Ghz? A lot of IoT devices and peripherals can still only connect to 2.4Ghz

According to the manual for that model (available here: https://www.manuals.co.uk/canon/pixm...5a/manual?p=46 ) it is indeed able to support only a 2.4Ghz only connection.

First thing to do is check how the home LAN is configured, and if 2.4 and 5GHz are split into separate networks, ensure to only attempt to connect to the correct one.

[Jaymoss]

Originally Posted by Chris

According to the manual for that model (available here: https://www.manuals.co.uk/canon/pixm...5a/manual?p=46 ) it is indeed able to support only a 2.4Ghz only connection.

First thing to do is check how the home LAN is configured, and if 2.4 and 5GHz are split into separate networks, ensure to only attempt to connect to the correct one.

If default they will auto negotiate and just be under one SSID always best to split. On my BT hub though I have to split into a guest on my Mesh it can be split into 2 but I do not. Over the year wifi printers have been one of my biggest reasons for call outs they will work for a while then they will not

Just for reference in the OP he says the printer can see the router if he had tried to connect to 5Ghz it would not unless he is on a split network and tried the wrong password perhaps although on my split they are both the same for ease

[Anonymouse]

I got the USB cable, tried installing using the CD...and it worked. To make sure, I sent a 1-page document, which it printed perfectly.

So it won't be going back to Amazon after all. I did have to figure out how to put 'Print' back onto the LibreOffice menu, and I'd like to restore any icon it might have, but luckily it's as simple to add entries as it is to remove them.

- Ah, found it. Done.

[Anonymouse]

Odd thing: the tablet talks to it okay wireless, but not the laptop, it seems. Still, it works - mainly I wanted to print a return label for a new tablet I thought I needed.

Advisory warning to anyone buying an Amazon Fire: GETTING WATER IN THE RECHARGE PORT IS THE KISS OF DEATH. DO NOT, EVER, ALLOW THIS TO OCCUR. KEEP THAT PORT DRY AT ALL COSTS.

I was lucky - I got a warning, panicked and ordered a new tablet, expecting mine to die (yes, this has happened before). But it must've been just one drop; I put a bit of tissue paper in there, the warning went away and it's been fine since. Whew. Maybe the warning mechanism is a bit sensitive.

OTOH, I expected the moisture to kill my tablet. It didn't, and it charges quite happily. For once in my life something's gone right.

[SnoopZ]

Originally Posted by Anonymouse

Odd thing: the tablet talks to it okay wireless, but not the laptop, it seems. Still, it works - mainly I wanted to print a return label for a new tablet I thought I needed.

Advisory warning to anyone buying an Amazon Fire: GETTING WATER IN THE RECHARGE PORT IS THE KISS OF DEATH. DO NOT, EVER, ALLOW THIS TO OCCUR. KEEP THAT PORT DRY AT ALL COSTS.

I was lucky - I got a warning, panicked and ordered a new tablet, expecting mine to die (yes, this has happened before). But it must've been just one drop; I put a bit of tissue paper in there, the warning went away and it's been fine since. Whew. Maybe the warning mechanism is a bit sensitive.

OTOH, I expected the moisture to kill my tablet. It didn't, and it charges quite happily. For once in my life something's gone right.

Getting water in any electrical item is a big no no not just an Amazon Fire tablet.

[Anonymouse]

Very true. But they are very very very sensitive. I spent ages drying it out, over days, to no avail. I gave up, chalked it up to experience and got a new one. The very last icon you want to see displayed is the water alert thing.

[tweetiepooh]

Another solution to connecting devices to wireless is using a wireless bridge. I repurposed an old router to connect a network printer to my wireless system. So printer connects via ethernet to the bridge and that is connected to the wireless network. The bridge is transparent once connected and the printer is access via its assigned IP from the router. This was an older printer without wireless but could be used with any device with ethernet if that device's wireless is less good than ideal. The bridge has multiple ethernet ports, though not tried I can't see why it can't be used to connect multiple devices.

[Jaymoss]

Originally Posted by tweetiepooh

Another solution to connecting devices to wireless is using a wireless bridge. I repurposed an old router to connect a network printer to my wireless system. So printer connects via ethernet to the bridge and that is connected to the wireless network. The bridge is transparent once connected and the printer is access via its assigned IP from the router. This was an older printer without wireless but could be used with any device with ethernet if that device's wireless is less good than ideal. The bridge has multiple ethernet ports, though not tried I can't see why it can't be used to connect multiple devices.

Same solution as my Mesh system

[Anonymouse]

Okay, colour me totally confused. I tried to find out how to print on both sides. The answers refer, it seems, to a different version of LibreOffice (I have 25.8.1.1). a 'More' button is mentioned under Range and Copies...which mine doesn't have.

Now it will print double-sided - from a PDF. But on LO the second page is upside down relative to the first.

What am I missing?

Hmm. When I set it up I removed everything to do with printing because, then, I didn't have a printer. Have I taken something out I shouldn't have, I wonder? I might try uninstalling and reinstalling.

- Done. It's printing correctly now. Whatever I did wrong has been rectified!

[Jaymoss]

There should be a setting for duplex which allows you to change how it sees the second side. Flip pages on long or short edge well it does from Office docs anyway