Mac can't find shared windows printer

[GoCapsGo!]

Hi Folks,

I've just switched to OS X after picking up a 2013 MB Air last week. I have a Canon MF 4450 attached to an old desktop PC. The printer is set up so that is shared with the two PC laptops still in the house.

When I try to get the Mac to find the printer all the fields stay blank. It finds nothing at all.

Any ideas?

 

[Meir David]

hi

(it would have been better to start a new topic - to get more attention to your particular issue...)

Your printer isn't a postscript printer. You will need a CUPS driver to use smb or lpd connection protocols.

For troubleshooting - can you connect to the Windows computer and file share?

Tell us more details about your network - router(s) ethernet, wireless, etc.

 

[MisterMe]

Meir David is essentially correct. If your printer is connected to your Windows computer, then you do not connect to the printer. You connect to the print server, which is your Windows computer. When you setup printer sharing in Windows, you share your printer as a PostScript printer. Windows takes care of the printer's communication and PostScript interpretation. The printer driver to be used on your Mac is your OS X PostScript generic driver. If a printer-specific PPD file is available from the CUPS project, then you may try it.

Your Finder Help menu has the instructions for sharing a Windows printer with your Mac.

P.S. Another thing that you might consider. Bonjour for Windows makes printer setup and use on Windows immeasurably easier than standard Windows printer setup. Install it on your Windows machine. Bonjour should enable printer auto-discovery of your Windows printer on your Mac.

 

[GoCapsGo!]

I got a chance to plug the printer directly into my Mac today. It recognized the printer immediately. I'll try your suggestions.