Error Number : 306 A communication error has occurred.

[Mork]

I have a Canon 780 installed which seemed to print fine for a while, but now when I try to print I get:

Error Number : 306 A communication error has occurred. Make sure that the printer is plugged in, powered-on, and properly connected to your computer. Then try printing again.

The printer is connected via a USB Hub, but plugging it directly into the USB Port doesn't seem to help either. I've also made sure I "woke up" the printer, plugged, replugged, etc.

If I mess around plugging and unplugging, it eventually will work.

This is very frustrating.

Is this printer just too old to work reliably? The "Mac" drivers that came with it really don't do anything ... the scanner won't work under the Mac O/S, etc.

Maybe I just need a new printer?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

- M

 

[Renegade777]

Printer Communication error 306

I am having the exact same error. I was using a Canon PIXMA series printer. After getting this error more and more often I bought a new HP Deskjet F4480. This printer also worked for a little while and suddenly I am getting the exact same error (306) with this new printer. As with the other one if I jack with it long enough, delete spooled jobs, restart the printer, etc. it will eventually print but even then not always all of the pages in a job before it errors out. Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is really annoying not to mention counterproductive. Apparently replaceing printers/drivers is NOT the solution!

 

[Mork]

I am having the exact same error. I was using a Canon PIXMA series printer. After getting this error more and more often I bought a new HP Deskjet F4480. This printer also worked for a little while and suddenly I am getting the exact same error (306) with this new printer. As with the other one if I jack with it long enough, delete spooled jobs, restart the printer, etc. it will eventually print but even then not always all of the pages in a job before it errors out. Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is really annoying not to mention counterproductive. Apparently replaceing printers/drivers is NOT the solution!

I feel your pain. Actually, in my case, it appeared that Canon didn't supply working mac drivers and I didn't get anywhere with them.

My solution was to buy a current All-in-one (not from Canon!) since I'd never get rid of the mac.

***** Note that with Snow Leopard (and some all-in-one devices) you use the built-in "Image Capture" mac utility as SL won't work any longer with some of the printer's installed scanning software!!! *****

It's sad that vendors don't support their peripherals. It's almost as bad as the "Vista" laptop I had for which the laptop company had no XP drivers -- trying to force me into Vista with no "upgrade" path to XP! My solution there after a two-year frustration feast with Vista? Give the computer away and be done with M$ once and for all....

Good luck.

-- M