imageCLASS MF642Cdw going Offline / AirPrint flapping / turning sleep off

[BuddhaCanon]

I'm looking for some help setting up my new ImageCLASS MF642Cdw

1) Any idea how I can permanatly stop it from sleeping / hibernating / shutting down on it's own? I've checked the manual and the only settings I can find to adjust sleep time is to set it from 0-60 minutes. I want it to be on all the time

2) It's availibility over LAN via Bonjour / AirPrint isn't reliable. I networked the printer via ethernet and assigned it a manual IP address. When I go to add the printer in System Preferences it doesn't show up. I can sometimes get it to show by toggling off/on Airprint in the settings. None of the other Airprint/Bonjour printers on the network have this issue. This issue is affecting multiple machines, multiple OS X versions. Furthermore, even after I've added the printer, it shows as "offline" in OS X. 

[Darius]

Hi BuddhaCanon.

Bonjour/Airprint connections and drivers are designed and implemented exclusivley by Apple.  If those are not working for the MF642Cdw, try removing them and then reinstalling the printer using the Canon-produced drivers. They're available, free of charge, on the Drivers & Downloads page.

These drivers should also solve the problem with the printer not waking up from sleep mode.  If that doesn't, try enabling Power Saver in the Wireless LAN settings (this will make it more responsive to network communications):

<Menu>  <Preferences>  <Network>  <Wireless LAN Settings>  Read the displayed message  <OK>  <Power Save Mode>  Select <Off> or <On>  

If you need immediate assistance with this issue, please contact us using the numbers and information at http://Canon.us/ContactLI

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[BuddhaCanon]

We're returning the printer. Thank you.

[tuskentower]

This response makes absolutely NO sense. It is no wonder the previous poster returned the unit.

After a few months of ownership, My MF260 started exhibiting this faulty behavior where upon waking from sleep, it would not connect to the wireless network. The printer console showed the printer as connected to WiFi, but nothing could find it on the network. Checking the router for connected devices showed that the printer was in fact NOT connected to the WiFi network.

There is obviously something wrong with the printer's ability to wake up from sleep.

[pinthea]

SOLUTION:

What made the whole problem go away is that I did this:

1.  Setup the printer with a static IP address (don't use DHCP).  It doesn't matter if you're printing wirelessly or have it connected via ethernet.  This is critical because you'll need the static IP address later in these steps.  After you have done so, restart the printer and ensure that it's using the static IP address.

2.  Download the latest drivers from Canon's website.  Install them.  (YMMV whether or not this will all work when trying to connect via AirPrint from your Mac, I used Canon's drivers.)

3.  Remove the printer from MacOS.  Remove the Fax too if you have an entry for that.  Reboot if you want to, never hurts after doing something like this.

4.  Add the printer.  DO NOT use the first tab where it auto-detects and finds it via Bonjour.  Instead go to the 2nd tab (that looks like a globe) and add it using the IP address that you established in the previous step.  IPP is the default protocol, keep it.  Then you MUST select in the "Use" field the printer driver you installed in the previous step.

As far as I can tell, step 4 is important because it tells the driver "always find the printer at this IP address" and bam, even when it's asleep, I can print to it from my Mac, even via WiFi, when I couldn't before.
This raises the question "what about my iPhones and iPads?" where you don't actually install any print drivers and it relies on AirPrint?  I don't know, I haven't toyed around with that just yet.  But these steps got me printing even after the printer went to sleep and would otherwise have shown as offline.  I hope this works for you.