Canon Pixma iP8720 printer intermittant "offline" error message.

[NDGraham]

This problem happens intermittantly when we try to print on the Canon Pixma iP8720 from our ASUS TP501U VivoBook Windows 10 64bit laptop. It has caused us all kinds of grief to correct over the past two years. It only happens on this laptop pc and none of the other pcs in our house. I finally worked out what I think is the quick solution to get the laptop printing on the iP8720. 

When we get this message now, I turn off the laptop and the printer and reboot the wifi router. When the router is back up and running, I turn on the laptop and the printer. I then go into the Windows Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices and Printers > Printers to check to make sure the printer is detected there. I noticed that we have been getting TWO icons for the Canon iP8720. The first icon is named "Canon iP8700 series" and a second identical icon right next to it is named "Canon iP8700 series WS". It is the first "Canon iP8700 series" icon that is the problem. It is usually made the "default" printer automatically but it does not work. If I switch over to the the "Canon iP8700 series WS" icon and set it as the default printer, the printer works again! 

Don't ask me why this happens but it seems to be the solution to the "offline" problem. I pass this on to anyone else having this similar annoying issue in the hopes that it will be helpful. (Before I stumbled on this solution, I used to spend 2 hours laboriously uninstalling and reinstalling the software and configuring the printer to the laptop by USB cord. Now I have been able to get the printer going again with this solution in a matter of 5 minutes. Sheesh!)

[shadowsports · Accepted solution]

Greetings,

You have already identified the problem.  You have 2 printer instances installed with similar names, but only one actually has the proper configuration and allows printing. 

The default settings in W10, "Allow Windows to Manage My Printers" tells windows to use the last known printer depending on your location.  If you set one of your installed printers as default, this "feature" is disabled and windows will send all job to the default printer (denoted with a green check box) unless you tell it otherwise  Easy way to make a one time change on the fly.  Use CTRL+P and select the printer destination you want for a one time print. (Especially helpful when you have more than one printer installed) 

In addition to the duplicate printer instance, you might also have issues with the printers network configuration.  I don't know this for sure, but if I had to guess one of the printer instances is a WSD port and the other is an IP address.  WSD stands for Web Service Device.  This allows network capable devices to communicate by broadcasting their web server capabilities over your network.  Another way a printer communitcates is TCP/IP.  This uses an IP address to identify the printer to other devices on your network. 

Either one can work effectively, but not if the IP for the devices changes continually.  This happens often if you use DHCP.  A better solution is to assign a static IP to your printer.  This way, it always gets the same IP address on your network regardless of when it was last used, turned off, goes to sleeep / wakes, etc. 

There are different ways to achiveve this.  Reserve an IP by printers MAC address (router), input an IP manually on the printer.  Why this is important.  A router hands out IP addresses to devices that request connection to your network.  Some "live" there like your printer, others come and go (a friends mobile device) who visits your home, example. 

I suggest the following.  Go through your restart / reboot routine and determine which printer instance is correct, now delete the other.  Give the printer a static IP address.  This can be an IP above or below your DHCP Pool, or a static IP reserved to the printer's MAC address.  If you have the Canon IJ Networking tool installed, this is another way to set the correct IP for the printer.  What happens if you don't do this.  If you turn the printer off, or it goes to sleep for an extended period of time and your router does not communicate with it, it might think the printer no longer exists on your network and re-claim the IP it assigned to the printer previously.  The "reboot routine" you perform refreshes this by forcing the printer to reconnect to your network and request an IP.  This is why printer works after this temporarily, then stops again. 

I hope this helps you better understand whats happening on your network and why printing works and fails intermittently.

[NDGraham]

Hi Rick  

Thank you for taking the time to explain in depth to me what happens here. Your second to last paragraph is particularly interesting as I really would like to prevent this problem from repeating again and again. So I'll try the IP tag procedure you described.

Your attention to my issue is greatly appreciated. 

Thanks again.

Neill Graham