Canon PIXMA MX922 and OS X 10.5.8

[BRZMac]

I purchased this printer and, while my MacBook can find the printer on the network, the MB has no driver for it (i.e., the Print Using: field always reverts to 'Please select a driver or printer model' when Auto Select is selected.)

I tried to install the drivers on the CD provided with the printer but the setup program on the CD states that this OS is not supported.

I contacted Canon and got this reply:

"Regrettably, your product will not be supported in the Mac OS X v10.5.x operating systems. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause."

I would rather not return the printer, so what are my options for getting this thing to work? Can I cobble up some other driver? Can I write my own driver? Can I route the MB prints through AirPrint?

Printing is not rocket science so why would it matter what version of OS X I have? Isn't printing printing? I could understand not getting some of the fancy features but there still should be some basic print capabilities.

Thanks!

 

[maflynn]

No offense but you're asking a company to provide support in a new printer to a 5 1/2 year old operating system. OSX 10.5 was released in 2007 and there's no way people should expect vendors to supply drivers for all prior versions of an operating system.

I'm not trying to sound harsh just to the point that time is money and given the small marketshare OSX has (compared to windows) its unrealistic to expect a company to provide drivers on what is probably a tiny minority of owners (small percentage of OSX users still on 10.5).

 

[BrianBaughn]

That's weird because if you look at the product support page for that model there's a lot implications that it will work in 10.5.8. If they say it won't work...well, I dunno.

Have you tried running Software Update since plugging the printer into your Mac? It might see the printer and find something.

 

[maflynn]

The specifications are pretty clear though

OS Compatibility Windows® 8, Windows RT, Windows 7, Windows 7 SP1, Windows Vista SP1, Vista SP2, Windows XP SP3 32-bit
Mac OSX 10.6.8 or later

When buying a printer (or any piece of hardware) you need to be sure its compatible with your platform. This printer's compatibility is only for Snow Leopard and up.

 

[BrianBaughn]

Yes. The $20 solution would be to update the MacBook to 10.6, then use software update to get the system up to 10.6.8.

 

[BRZMac]

Thanks for the feedback. I knew I would find an answer here.

I was under the impression that 10.5.8 was the highest my Late 2007 MacBook would go. It does appear that I can install 10.6.8 so I will give that a try. Thanks Brian.

And maflynn, shame on me for not looking at the printer specs before ordering. I did not expect in this day and age for printing to be tied so tightly to OS version. Isn't that what PS and other printer languages were suppose to solve? What happens in a few years when 10.8.2 is the oldest OS X supported by printer companies? My MacBook will running just fine but it won't be able to print. Shame on somebody.

Thanks again. I'll report back if I have problems with the 10.6.8 install.

 

[0tennislover0]

planned obsolescence

No offense but you're asking a company to provide support in a new printer to a 5 1/2 year old operating system. OSX 10.5 was released in 2007 and there's no way people should expect vendors to supply drivers for all prior versions of an operating system.

I'm not trying to sound harsh just to the point that time is money and given the small marketshare OSX has (compared to windows) its unrealistic to expect a company to provide drivers on what is probably a tiny minority of owners (small percentage of OSX users still on 10.5).

I am not criticizing your comment, just commenting how quickly companies obsolete products in favor of newer flashier stuff and leaving a still large segment of customers holding the bag for it. 5 years seems way to soon to obsolete service for any product...Look how long Microsoft supported Windows XP ! At least produce a generic driver to cover it,maybe not full service?

 

[LoRob]

planned obsolescence



I am not criticizing your comment, just commenting how quickly companies obsolete products in favor of newer flashier stuff and leaving a still large segment of customers holding the bag for it. 5 years seems way to soon to obsolete service for any product...Look how long Microsoft supported Windows XP ! At least produce a generic driver to cover it,maybe not full service?

The Canon MX922 has serious wifi disconnect problems due to the default settings for WLAN. It is set to disconnect if not used after a certain period of time. This has driven many users crazy, including me. The setting can be changed this way:

To disable this feature:

1. Select Setup on your printer's Menu panel
2. Select Device Settings
3. Select LAN Settings
4. Select Other settings
5. And then Wireless LAN DRX setting
6. Set this option to Disabled

This helped me make my unusable MX922 a model wifi citizen after trying many, many different things. Hope that helps.