Printer driver for Canon Pixma MP610?

[scouser75]

Hey guys, a bit of a long shot here, but worth a try - does anyone know of any printer drivers for a Canon Pixma MP610 that will work on a MBA M1 running Tahoe?

We very rarely use a printer so don't really want to buy a new one, so if there are any drivers out there, that will save us a few quid.

Thanks 🙂

 

[chabig]

That's a very old printer from 2007. I think you would be better off buying a new printer. But if you want to try to keep it, maybe you can use a wireless print server instead of a direct connection. Here's one that might work (the MP610 isn't on its support printer list, but other MP series printers are). It's probably not worth the risk though.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-100Mbps-Ethernet-Network-Server/dp/B00M77UME8/

 

[scouser75]

That's a very old printer from 2007. I think you would be better off buying a new printer. But if you want to try to keep it, maybe you can use a wireless print server instead of a direct connection. Here's one that might work (the MP610 isn't on its support printer list, but other MP series printers are). It's probably not worth the risk though.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-100Mbps-Ethernet-Network-Server/dp/B00M77UME8/

Thanks chabig. I suggested the same about a new printer to my wife. Instead, she splashed £20 on new ink for our antiquated printer 🤦

 

[PotentPeas]

I have a PIXMA MX512 that works with modern Macs/macOS, but only "barely". I want to say that I bought it in 2011?

A firmware update was made available for it that added AirPrint capability, so I can print to it over the network. (I cannot print to it over USB, there's no driver for that.)

The AirPrint capability is for printing only, not scanning. I can scan from it using VueScan, but that requires plugging in the USB cable.

If your printer didn't get an AirPrint update, or if it is not network-capable at all, then you are probably out of luck. ...Fortunately, newer printers tend to use more standard protocols, so they should be more future-proof than printers from this era were.

 

[scouser75]

I have a PIXMA MX512 that works with modern Macs/macOS, but only "barely". I want to say that I bought it in 2011?

A firmware update was made available for it that added AirPrint capability, so I can print to it over the network. (I cannot print to it over USB, there's no driver for that.)

The AirPrint capability is for printing only, not scanning. I can scan from it using VueScan, but that requires plugging in the USB cable.

If your printer didn't get an AirPrint update, or if it is not network-capable at all, then you are probably out of luck. ...Fortunately, newer printers tend to use more standard protocols, so they should be more future-proof than printers from this era were.

Thanks mate. Unfortunately, this printer is so old, no chance of AirPrint 😆

 

[hen_bruce556]

The Canon PIXMA MP610 is a very old model (released around 2007), and Canon only provided Mac drivers up to older versions of OS X. There are no official drivers for Apple Silicon Macs or macOS Tahoe, and Canon has retired support for the MP610.

That said, a couple of things are worth trying before giving up:

• Connect the printer via USB and see if macOS detects it automatically using a generic driver.
• If the printer is network-capable, try adding it manually through IPP/CUPS.
• For scanning, VueScan sometimes supports older Canon devices even when Canon's own drivers no longer work.

Realistically, though, most printers of that vintage have found that modern macOS versions don't play nicely with them unless the printer supports AirPrint, which the MP610 predates.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

I won’t be able to offer help beyond what others have already contributed but geez that MP name brought back memories.

I used to own the MP800 and it was brilliant, up until round about 2013/2014 (cannot remember which macOS broke it Catalina perhaps), when it wasn’t. I recall being bounced back and forth between Canon and Apple, both blaming the other for lack of software support. I think it was the scanning functionality that first suffered. In the end someone broke it by lifting the whole unit by the lid. I was sad.

I generally used it for photography and it cost a small fortune to maintain 8 ink cartridges but Canon sure was pleased. Nowadays I’d advise folks that are just printing text to buy a laser printer to save heaps of money.

So my advice be to replace it as Apple or Canon support was already breaking it 12 yrs ago.

Subjectively back then I believe that Epson offered longer support but I’ve no idea who is best for longevity these days.