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?

[lrs3]

Concur that this is not a driver issue.  I have the same issue. 

As @fcrwx states, the "Printer Name" section of the Canon printer (Settings/Registration: Preferences: Network Settings > AirPrint Settings) changes every once in awhile causing all kinds of "failure to print" issues with my OSX devices.  

Nothing on my laptops/desktops is changing; what does change is the "Printer Name" on Canon's settings page. 

@Darius Your suggestion turns the mDNS protocol off and prevents AirPrint from functioning (Bonjour requires mDNS).

This is a Canon issue...something in the Canon printer software is allowing the "Printer Name" to change.  And it changes as @fcrwx stated.  For example, if it's named "Canon Printer," then it will change to "Canon Printer (ab:cd:12)" or "Canon Printer (ab:cd:12) (2)" or even "Canon Printer (ab:cd:12) (3) (ab:cd:12)"

How do we as post this is as a bug?  How do we request a software update to correct this issue?

[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]

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]

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).

[epo]

Greeting all,
Same issue here, mDNS address keeps changing, nothing to do with the drivers installed on my Mac. It's a bug and it should be fixed

[Cyberic]

Hello Everyone,

Same problem here and you can see the mDNS names keeps changing even by simply looking at the web admin interface. Going to network settings and looking at IPv4 or mDNS or AirPrint parameters, and refreshing it a few hours later.

I have two printers, one at home with Macs/PCs/phones and one being used in a strictly-Windows office so definitely not related to Mac drivers because it shows the same issue.

Help would be appreciated as we can't reliably ask all users to reconnect or use direct IP address.

And even if we do (e.g. for Mac users), the names gets very very long and it becomes impossible to connect (mDNS name too long).

If anyone in Canon listens, is there a firmware update on its way?

Thanks.

[Darius]

Hi Cyberic, epo, lrs3, bujon, and mldelman.

As stated above, Airprint (and Bonjour) are Apple-developed drivers and compatibility layers for devices.  Airprint does not cover the entirety of the MF644Cdw's WiFi connectivity to Mac OS; standard wireless and wired network connections are also available when connecting to a Mac OS computer.

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

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).  While disabling mDNS may cause Airprint to no longer work, standard networking protocols will continue to function for the MF644Cdw.

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[Cyberic]

Hello Darius,

Thanks for your answer but this does not help the situation nor does it resolve the issue.

To summarize what I gather from the suggestion is that: "If Airprint is failing, then don't use it and use other mechanisms".

Like I stated, I bought two of these printers, one for an office with Windows-based clients and one where iOS devices are used (and there is no other mechanism available to print from iPads/iPhones other than Airprint).

What we notice is that, even on the office with only Windows machines a local wired network and standard switch and fixed addressing, the mDNS name entered for the device keeps getting appended by extra characters, and this occurs on its own without any computer triggering it, just by switching off/on the printer. The router wouldn't be involved either as we use fixed adressing. Worse, even if you UNPLUG the printer from the network and disable Airprint (leaving mDNS active), then the mDNS bug will occur also.

Bottomline is that the printer is not working as advertised and the bug is clearly reproducible.

So it seems to me that this oddity canb be looked at by the firmware developers so they would issue a fix/update.

If you have the ability to escalate, this would be very helpful, else please advise how best we could get this raised.

Thanks.

[Darius]

Hi Cyberic and chrismarquardt.

If the mDNS name is changing in this way, it is due to the router or computer telling the printer that the name is taken.  The numbers and letters that are appeneded to the end are, as indicated earlier, representative of the printer's MAC Address (a hardware identifier).  This may be from assigning the printer a static IP address and name both on the printer itself and on the router; double-check settings on the printer and on the router to ensure only one is setting this information.

There may also be router settings related to mDNS that are preserving the printer's name, and thus causing it to report as "name in use" after certain periods of time.  Refer to the router's documentation and support for help disabling this setting.

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[Cyberic]

Hello Darius,

As stated, the mDNS changes by itself even when the printer is completely isolated from the network.

You keep insisting that some external element changes that (computer or router) but the printer does this on its own, and we are obviously multiple users (with different setups) experiencing this same issue.

Whether fixed addressing or DHCP, (with or without IPv6 enabled), the issue remains.

Also, the hostname does not change (as you seem to refer to this), only the mDNS name changes.

At the office, many of us tried different things (we're an IT company, so this puzzled many of us) but issue remains.

Please can you escalate to the developers ?

The issue is very easy to reproduce (switch the printer off/on a few times and you get many characters appended) 

Thanks.