imageCLASS MF644Cdw Airprint name keeps changing

[fcrwx]

I have a MF644C and about every week or so the Airprint name changes. This prevents me from printing via my Macbook Pro until I delete and re-add the printer. Under "Settings/Registration: Preferences: Network Settings > AirPrint Settings" I originally set the Printer Name to "Canon MF644C", then it suddenly changed to "Canon MF644C (dd:ed:b5)" and most recently changed to "Canon MF644C (dd:ed:b5) (dd:ed:b5) (7)". I really don't care what the name is, but why does it keep changing?

[Cyberic]

Tried everything. Fixed IP with disabled DHCP still doesn't work (hex data appended still after a while).

Also tried with and without IPv6, with and without DHCP, with and without reserved DHCP lease on router based on MAC address, etc... Still fails. Nothing prevents the name to be changed after some time.

I can't believe Canon still hasn't fixed this obvious bug.

[gplog]

I have the same problem.  It occurs whenever the printer is turned on/off and also when it loses network connection.  I have tried every fix in the forum and none works.  The only fix that works is to rename the printer (without the hex nonsense appended) in the AirPrint control panel in a browser.

Canon, please fix this!

[feax]

Just giving an update following my post where I said I fixed that issue.

What I did :

* use a static IP for the printer at the router level. My router is a Netgate SG-5100. The static IP is outside of the DHCP range with a permanent ARP Table entry.

* use the same static IP for the printer in the printer settings (for my MF743C it is Network Settings > IPv4 Settings > IP Address Settings > Auto Acquire > OFF and add IP address below).

When I turn the printer on and off the printer's name doesn't change any more.

Since I made these changes 4 months ago the issue did not happen to me.

Hope that helps...

[Gleeplewinky]

I don't believe the Canon drivers are a solution. It doesn't fix the problem with AirPrint, and they can't be installed on a phone or tablet. Furhter, the Canon drivers work notably worse than the Apple drivers (the print quality is lower, and it installs scanner support that results in lower contrast / blurrier scans). Further, the drivers add all this other software and are very very diffcult to uninstall after installing. Canon's driver's are a sad mess for their own MFCs.

The reported behavior is common with Canon printers. I've had HP and Epson printers before, and they never exhibited the same behavior. I'm guessing that it's simply a misconfiguration of mDNS in the printer firmware, but the bug has gone unresolved for some time so it's not likely that Canon feels obligated to address the bug (it's only going to affect people that use AirPrint to print).

[Gleeplewinky]

The Apple drivers are different. They do not recognize all the resolutions available on the printer, for instance. However, the Apple drivers do produce superior print and scan results than the Canon drivers, the Canon drivers use quite a bit of memory and disk space, produce worse output and less sharp scans, and have a clunky UI. The Canon drivers also don't come with a functional uninstaller, so you can't back them out once installed.

Apple users really should not use the Canon drivers until they reach production quality as the Canon drivers degrade the print/scan performance of the product noticably.

[Gleeplewinky]

AirPrint relies on the mDNS feature and turning off mDNS also disables AirPrint. As you pointed out, though, there's a bug in Canon's support for mDNS which causes the problem. You can attach an Epson or HP printer to the same network and setup AirPrint on them and not experience the same problem (I had that situation for a while at home).

[Gleeplewinky]

> As stated previously in the thread, if Airprint is not working for the MF644Cdw, we recommend the printer be

> removed and then re-added to the Mac OS computer using the Canon-produced drivers,

This is not a good solution. It doesn't address the AirPrint bug at all, and, at this current time, the Apple AirPrint drivers provide better quality than Canon's drivers. Also, Canon does not provide a mechanism to unsintall their software. You can't install Canon drivers on non-omputers that use AirPrint.

> on a non-Airprint wireless or wired network connection.  Support for Airprint drivers is provided exclusively by Apple.

This is incorrect. The Canon device provides both mDNS and AirPrint support. AirPrint doesn't actually use drivers per se in that it is a file transfer protocol. It requests metadata about the printer's options via HTTPS, then posts PDF or JPG to the device via HTTPS. That's all it does. It relies on mDNS for device discovery.

> If the mDNS of the printer is being changed, the cause will be either the computer or the router. DNS (Doman Name Server)

> is controlled primarily by the router, though the computer can have enough control to alter settings on the printer

> (as occurs during some wifi setup methods).

This is incorrect. Multicast DNS (mDNS) is not controlled by the router, that's the whole point of the protocol. The mDNS query is broadcast to the local network segment and the devices on the network self-identify with their own response rather than rely on the DNS service. In this scenario, the DNS server is, effectively, the printer itself as it is the party that responds to the mDNS broadcast and announces itself. Neither the router nor the device initiating the request have influence over the name.

> While disabling mDNS may cause Airprint to no longer work, standard networking protocols will continue to function for \

> the MF644Cdw.

This is correct, but it is not a solution to the problem since it prevents AirPrint printing (used by phones and tablets to print).

[Gleeplewinky]

Looking at the network traffice, it seems that the bug is with Canon's mDNS. What seems to happen is that when the printer is roused from sleep it broadcasts an mDNS request to see if it's name is already in use and answers itself that it is, so the printer changes its names because it's already using it.

[Cyberic]

@Gleeplewinky

Please refrain from posting multiple times in a row like jou just did, instead of grouping your contribution in a single post.

This triggers many notifications to everyone who subscribed to the topic and is considered as spamming.

Thanks.

[davidfokkema]

That being said, I completely understand the sentiment. This is a frustrating problem that required me to teach non-technical people in my household to remove and add printers when the printer stopped functioning, because I'm not always around when they simply want to print something.

If @Gleeplewinky is correct that the printer is answering its own mDNS ping request, this should be an easy bug to fix. By Canon. PLEASE. Fix this and report back on this thread so we know when to upgrade our firmware and sleep soundly again while growing back some hair. Thanks.