MacBook Connected to PC Network, Need Help Setting Up Canon Printer

[pmillen]

We're converting two laptops, a desktop, a tablet and two Windows phones from Windows 10 to Apple. The initial conversion is a PC laptop to a MacBook Pro. I have the MacBook connected to the network for file sharing but cannot figure out how to set-up the Canon printer that is connected to the desktop PC. I think I have installed the same printer twice in the process of trying to configure it.





In the PC world, the OS will go to the Internet and find the proper printer driver. The MacBook doesn't seem to do this. I probably have the Canon CD with the driver if it's useful.

BTW, I'm not opposed to researching my activities on the Internet or buying an Owners' Manual. But my OS is El Capitan and I can't be certain that the instructions and books are current. Any suggestions?

 

[MacInWin]

Welcome to the forum (and to the world of Macs)

Actually, your Mac should have the driver. Canon, however, is a somewhat less than friendly installation. To install a printer open the System Preferences, Printers and Scanners and then you should get a window with a list of printers on the left and your currently chosen printer on the right. If any printers are there, highlight them in turn and click the "-" box at the bottom of the left window. That will eliminate that printer. Repeat until all the printers are gone. Now, with the Canon attached by USB and powered on, click on the "+" button and OS X should find the printer and load the drivers automatically. You shouldn't need to run any Canon software as long as Canon has a driver for your version of OS X.

The "hold for authentication" may be from Word, not the operating system or Canon. Can you use any other application than Word to print? Is your copy of Word properly registered with MS? The only time I've seen that hangup is when the copy of Word is not properly registered with MS, so when it goes to get authentication to print from the mothership, it fails.

 

[pmillen]

Thanks for the prompt reply, Jake.

You instruction, "Now, with the Canon attached by USB and powered on, click on the "+" button..." doesn't quite meet my need.

I didn't make it clear in my OP that the Canon printer is connected to another PC that is staying on the network for a while. (It will be the second PC replaced--with an iMac.)

I suppose that I could tote the MacBook to the Canon printer and plug it in but that's not an elegant solution.



My four choices for <Use> don't seem to fit the application.

I'll address the "Hold For Authentication" notice with M'soft.

 

[pmillen]

I opened a Pages document (actually, a Word document from a networked PC opened in Pages) and received the same "Hold For Authentication" notice, so I'm guessing that M'soft and I are square.

 

[MacInWin]

Ah, the details appear. I'm sorry, but i can't help because I have no Windows systems and haven't had one since WinXP was new. Maybe one of our Windows users will chime in with how to share that printer.

 

[ManoaHi]

Have you setup the Windows machine's file and printer sharing? It is not as straight forward as it may seem.
To share Windows printer with Mac please see: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2665700
So, you'll need to make up a name, as Workgroup doesn't work.

When you're ready to go the other way around, you need to setup sharing on the Mac and install Bonjour for Windows (you can't use the Control Panel's Devices and Printers) you need to use Bonjour for Windows. I've done both ways( Windows <--> Mac). Now I have 1 printer hooked up to my Apple Router but you still need Bonjour for Windows Windows PC. The Mac just "sees" it. The other printer is now a wireless, so that prints from anything.

Interesting point about the drivers. The Mac does the same, it downloads appropriate driver. I'm not sure but if you did the Mac connected directly to the printer, the driver will download. Some times you need to look for it on the manufactures site, but most times no.

 

[pmillen]

I appreciate your efforts at trying to help me, Jake and ManoaHi, but it's a problem that is not worth investing the time to solve.

The step by step process in https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2665700 is for Windows 7 (as I recall) and I don't see a simple way to translate them to Windows 10.

Additionally, yesterday, to test printer compatibility and the MacBook's ability to acquire the proper driver, I carried the MacBook to the printer location, plugged the printer into a MacBook USB port and printed Pages and Word documents. Now, whenever I try to configure the networked printer the MacBook "discovers" the Canon printer that was once connected.

So--as a stopgap until I acquire the iMac, I'll port either the MacBook or a thumb drive to the printer location. It appears that the total time required to do that will be less than the time required to set up networked printing.

Once again, thank you both for taking the time to assist me.