Hi Bette1! Thanks for contributing to the Canon Community! I see you are wondering what kind of cable will work with your MacBook Air 2.
You will need a USB cable (not an adapter) that fits the USB port on your computer. I assume that your computer has an oval-shaped USB-C port. If that is true, you will need a USB 2.0 cable that has an oval-shaped USB-C connector on one end (for your computer) and a trapezoidal-shaped USB-Mini B connector on the other.
USB-Mini B can be called "Mini USB" by a some companies. If they provide a picture, please make sure that the fitting on one end is a miniature trapezoidal shape. A trapezoid is like a rectangle, but the sides are slanted in. You can refer to the end of the cable that fits the scanner. That is the shape that I am referring to.
USB2.0 cables come with a variety of connectors. The cable provided with the printer has connectors that will work with Windows based computers (USB-A to USB-Mini B), since most PC's have rectangular shaped USB-A ports. Mac computers have switched to oval-shaped ports (called USB-C or thunderbolt).
Please make sure to get a cable that has the proper fitting for both sides (the computer and the scanner). Also, please make sure that the cable is no longer than 6 feet (maximum length). Cables longer than 6 feet can cause communication issues with the scanner.
Please do not get a USB Adapter. Although a USB Adapter can bridge the connection between the cable and your computer, it can also cause communication problems. It is best to get a single cable that has the proper connectors on both ends.
These cables are made by different manufacturers. We cannot recommend any one cable over another. If you do a search for "USB-C to USB-Mini B cable", you should see a few examples of the cable that you need (assuming that your Mac computer has oval-shaped connectors).
I hope this helps. Thanks again.
