Canon Printer Setup
Canon setup has one problem the other brands don't, and it happens before you touch the printer.
Search for Canon printer setup and a wall of results appears offering drivers, setup wizards and support. Most of them are not Canon. Canon's genuine setup portal is a short, unusual-looking address, and a whole industry of near-identical domains has grown up around it precisely because it's easy to imitate. People download "drivers" from these sites every day.
So the first section of this guide is about getting the software from the right place. After that, we'll do the actual setup, which is mercifully straightforward once you know which of Canon's three ink systems you're dealing with.
Get your software from the right place
Canon's official setup portal is ij.start.canon. That's the address printed on the orange card in the box. Note the shape of it: the last part is .canon, which is a real top-level domain that Canon owns.
Domains that add hyphens, add .com on the end, or rearrange those words are not Canon. Neither are the many "Canon printer support" sites that rank well and offer helpful-looking download buttons. Some are ad farms. Some bundle software you didn't ask for. Some are worse.
Two safe routes:
Type ij.start.canon directly into your browser. Don't search for it, and don't click a search result that looks close. Or go to your Canon regional support site ij.start.canon, find your exact model, and use its Drivers and Downloads section. Those addresses look like usa.canon.com, canon.co.uk, canon.co.in, canon.com.au and so on.
The same rule applies to mobile. Get Canon PRINT from the App Store or Google Play, not from a link in a search result.
If you've already installed something from a site you're unsure about, uninstall it, run a malware scan, and start again from the official source. It's a twenty-minute detour that beats the alternative.
What changed in 2026 The mobile app is just called Canon PRINT now
It used to be Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY. Canon shortened the name to Canon PRINT, and then folded the separate Canon PRINT Business app into it as well. One app now covers inkjets, laser machines and SELPHY photo printers.
This matters because older setup cards, forum posts and printed manuals still reference the old names. If you're following instructions from a couple of years ago and can't find "Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY" in the store, you're not going mad. It's the same app under a shorter name.
The app handles initial setup, printing, scanning, ink levels and cloud printing, and it covers a wide spread of hardware: the PIXMA TS, TR, G, E, MG and MX lines, MAXIFY MB, GX and iB, the imageCLASS and i-SENSYS laser families, imagePROGRAF, and SELPHY compacts.
Windows mostly doesn't want a driver anymore
Microsoft has been retiring third-party printer drivers since 2023 and 2026 is when it became the default.
On 15 January 2026, Windows Update stopped publishing new third-party printer drivers for Windows 11 and Windows Server 2025. On 1 July 2026, Windows changed its driver ranking so its own built-in IPP class driver wins during new printer installations.
What this means for you: add a modern Canon to Windows 11 and it will usually print immediately, with no download at all. Your existing Canon drivers still work and nothing was removed from your PC.
The catch is the same one every brand has. The built-in Windows driver prints. It doesn't scan. On a PIXMA or MAXIFY all-in-one you'll still install Canon software for the scanner. That's expected, not a failure.
There's a second Canon-specific catch worth knowing. The built-in driver won't expose Canon's borderless photo settings, paper type profiles, or the maintenance functions like printhead cleaning and alignment. If you bought the printer for photos, install the full Canon package. If you bought it to print school forms, driverless is fine.
Work out which Canon you have
The prefix tells you the family, and the family tells you how ink works, which is the part that actually affects setup.
PIXMA TS, TR, MG, MX, E, iP — home all-in-ones and printers using FINE cartridges. The cheapest to buy, the most expensive to run. PIXMA G — MegaTank. Refillable ink tanks. Higher upfront cost, dramatically lower cost per page. PIXMA PRO — photo printers using many individual ink tanks and a separate printhead. MAXIFY MB, iB — office inkjets with individual high-yield tanks. MAXIFY GX — office MegaTank. Refillable, built for volume. imageCLASS — Canon's laser and laser multifunction line in North America. i-SENSYS — the same laser machines sold under a different name across Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia. imagePROGRAF — large format. SELPHY CP — small dye-sublimation photo printers. Different setup path, covered briefly at the end.
A regional note that catches people out: imageCLASS and i-SENSYS are the same hardware. An imageCLASS MF450 and an i-SENSYS MF450 are the same machine with different badging for different markets. If a guide references one and you own the other, the instructions still apply. Cartridge part numbers, though, often differ by region, so match consumables to your local model number.
Find the full model number on the front of the machine, on a label under the scanner lid, or on a sticker at the back near the power inlet.
Understand your ink system before you unbox
Canon uses three different arrangements, and they fail in completely different ways. Knowing which you have saves you from applying the wrong fix later.
FINE cartridges
Found on most PIXMA TS, TR, MG and E models. Usually two cartridges: a pigment black and a tri-colour.
The printhead is built into the cartridge. When you replace the cartridge, you replace the nozzles. This is genuinely good news, because a clog that won't clear is fixed by buying a new cartridge rather than by replacing the printer.
Setup is simple. Remove the orange protective cap and the tape, don't touch the gold contacts or the nozzle plate, drop it in, push until it clicks.
Individual tanks with a separate printhead
Found on MAXIFY MB and iB, PIXMA PRO, and older higher-end PIXMA models. Four to twelve individual ink tanks sit in a carrier, and underneath them sits a separate printhead unit you can lift out.
The printhead is a long-lived, expensive part. It's also what fails when you see error B200. Clogs here matter much more than on a FINE machine, because clearing them is the only route back.
MegaTank, the G and GX series
Refillable tanks bonded to the side of the printer, plus a separate printhead. Setup here is the one that genuinely goes wrong, so it gets its own section below.
Physical setup If you have a FINE cartridge model Remove every piece of orange tape. Open the top cover and check inside the carriage area. Power on before installing cartridges. The carriage moves into position on boot. Take each cartridge out, pull off the orange protective cap, and remove the tape. Do not touch the gold contacts or the nozzle plate underneath. Skin oil there is a real cause of "cartridge cannot be recognised" errors. Slot the cartridge in at a slight angle and push up until it clicks. Black goes on the left, colour on the right on most models. The slots are labelled. Close the cover and let the printer run its initial charge. A few minutes of noise is normal. Print a nozzle check pattern before doing anything else. If you have a MegaTank, the G or GX series
This is the fifteen minutes that decides whether your printer has a good life or a short one.
Keep the printer level throughout. Don't tilt it, don't shake it, don't stand it on end after ink goes in. Remove all tape and open the ink tank cover. Fill every tank to its upper line. All of them, even if you only plan to print in black. The initial charge draws from every channel at once, and a tank that runs dry during it pulls air into the line. Canon's bottles have keyed nozzles that fit only the correct tank. Hold the bottle upright in the port and let it flow. It stops on its own when the tank is full. Don't squeeze. Close the caps firmly. On many models there's an audible click. Start the initial ink charging from the panel and leave the printer completely alone until it finishes. Depending on model this takes somewhere between five and fifteen minutes. Don't open covers, don't power off, don't unplug. Print a nozzle check when it's done. If a colour is missing, run one cleaning and check again.
On moving a MegaTank later: once ink is in, these machines can't be casually transported. Most have an ink valve or transport lock that must be set, and some models require keeping the printer level in a specific orientation. Look up your model's transport procedure before you move house, not after ink has leaked into the chassis.
If you have a laser, imageCLASS or i-SENSYS
Much simpler.
Remove the toner cartridge, pull out any orange sealing tape or shipping pin, and rock the cartridge gently side to side five or six times. Slide it back in until it seats and the cover closes without force. Load paper, squaring the guides against the stack without bowing it. Power on. Colour models will run a calibration cycle. Let it finish. Network prep Check your band
Most Canon home models connect on 2.4 GHz only. Newer MAXIFY and higher-end machines handle 5 GHz, but don't assume yours does.
The failure mode is familiar: your router broadcasts both bands under one name, your phone sits on 5 GHz, and the printer can't see the network you're trying to join it to. The error message won't tell you that.
Before you start, either split your router's bands temporarily, or make sure you know the 2.4 GHz network name so you can enter it manually.
Check security settings Some older Canon models can't join a WPA3-only network. Switch the router to WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode for setup. Turn AP isolation off. Guest networks often have it on by default, and it stops devices seeing each other, which is the one thing a printer needs to do. Canon's own documentation recommends WPA/WPA2 security on the network you connect the printer to, which is worth honouring rather than dropping to an open network to make setup easier. Choose your connection
Wi-Fi suits most homes. Its one recurring weakness is a changing IP address, which is fixable and covered below.
Ethernet, on models that have a port, is the low-drama choice for anything near the router. Faster to set up, no band problems, and phones can still print to it over the network.
USB is fine for a single computer. Note that Windows 11's driverless path is weaker over USB than over the network, so even for a printer sitting beside your PC, a network connection often installs more cleanly.
Wireless Direct is Canon's name for the printer broadcasting its own network. Useful as a fallback or where there's no router. Your device loses internet access while connected, so treat it as a backup rather than a setup.
Step one: get the printer onto the network
Canon's approach here is different from its competitors, and once you understand it the whole process makes more sense.
Easy Wireless Connect, Canon's signature method
Canon calls it Easy Wireless Connect, and older documentation calls it cableless setup. Instead of typing your Wi-Fi password on a cramped printer panel, you put the printer into a listening mode and then push the network settings to it from your phone or computer.
On the printer:
Look for a menu item called Easy wireless connect, Easy Wireless Connect, or Cableless setup. It usually sits under the network or wireless LAN settings. On screenless models, press and hold the Wi-Fi or Wireless Connect button until the light blinks, then follow the pattern your model's quick guide describes. The printer will display a message saying it's waiting for the connection, or the light will blink steadily. It stays in this mode for a few minutes only.
Then, from your phone:
Open Canon PRINT and start the add-a-printer flow. Follow the prompts. The app finds the waiting printer and hands over your Wi-Fi credentials.
Or, from a Windows PC:
Run the setup from ij.start.canon, or open Wi-Fi Connection Assistant if Canon's software is already installed. On Windows it lives under Start → Canon Utilities → Wi-Fi Connection Assistant. Choose printer network setup and follow the prompts.
One practical note: Canon's documentation asks you to disable firewall blocking while Wi-Fi Connection Assistant runs. If setup stalls at the discovery step, a firewall is the usual culprit. Turn it back on afterwards.
Using the printer's own wizard instead
If your model has a decent screen, you can do it the ordinary way.
Press Setup or the wrench icon. Go to Device settings → LAN settings → Wi-Fi → Settings. Choose Wi-Fi setup → Manual connect or the wireless setup wizard. Select your network, or choose manual entry if it's hidden or on a band the printer can't scan. Enter the password. It's case sensitive and the on-screen keyboard is slow. Using WPS On the printer, go to the wireless setup menu and choose WPS (Push button method), or hold the Wi-Fi button until the light flashes on models without a screen. Within two minutes, press the WPS button on your router. Wait for the Wi-Fi light to go solid.
WPS is fast when it works and simply unavailable on networks where it's been disabled for security reasons.
Print the network settings page
Ten seconds now, hours saved later.
On models with a menu: Setup → Device settings → LAN settings → Print LAN details or Print network settings.
On button-only models: load a sheet of A4 or Letter and hold the Wi-Fi or Resume button as your quick guide describes. The exact button varies by model.
The page gives you the printer's IP address, its MAC address, the connected network name, and the firmware version. Keep it. You'll need the IP whenever automatic discovery fails.
Pin the IP address down
The overwhelming cause of "my Canon keeps going offline" is the router giving it a new address after a reboot.
Log into your router, open the connected devices or DHCP client list, find the Canon, and create a DHCP reservation so it always receives the same address. This is safer than setting a static IP on the printer itself, because the router stays in charge and you can't accidentally create a conflict.
Once that's done, typing the printer's IP into a browser on the same network opens Canon's built-in Remote UI on models that support it, where you can check status and adjust settings without walking over.
Step two: set up your devices Windows 11
Start driverless. It's fewer steps and it's what Windows prefers as of July 2026.
Confirm the printer is on the network and you have its IP address. Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners. Click Add device and wait fifteen to thirty seconds. Your Canon should appear by model name. Click Add device beside it. Test it: select the printer, open Printer properties, click Print Test Page.
If it doesn't appear:
Click Add manually once the scan finishes. Choose Add a printer using an IP address or hostname. Set device type to Autodetect or IPP Device, enter the IP address, and continue.
For scanning, photo settings, or maintenance tools, install Canon's software from ij.start.canon or your regional Canon support site. Search your exact model, open Drivers and Downloads, and choose the full package rather than the driver alone. That gives you IJ Scan Utility for scanning and the maintenance functions for nozzle checks, cleaning and alignment.
Windows 10
Windows 10 reached end of support in October 2025. It still prints, but it isn't getting fixes and the modern print platform improvements aren't coming to it.
Use the traditional route: download the full package from Canon's official support site for your model, run it, and choose your connection type when prompted. If wireless discovery fails, the installer lets you specify the printer by IP address.
macOS
Canon machines from the last decade are AirPrint devices, so macOS needs nothing from Canon to print.
Open System Settings → Printers & Scanners. Click Add Printer, Scanner or Fax. Your Canon should appear under the Default tab, usually described as Bonjour Multifunction. Select it and check the Use dropdown reads AirPrint or Secure AirPrint. Click Add.
If it's missing, use the IP tab, enter the printer's IP address, set Protocol to Internet Printing Protocol - IPP, and add it.
Scanning on Mac: basic scanning works through Image Capture or the Scan tab in Printers & Scanners. For document feeder handling, multi-page PDFs and Canon's own scan presets, install IJ Scan Utility Lite or the full Canon package for your model.
For photo printing on a PIXMA PRO or similar, install the full Canon driver. AirPrint won't give you the paper profiles and colour handling you bought the printer for.
iPhone and iPad
Printing needs nothing installed.
Confirm the iPhone and printer are on the same network, not a separate guest network. Open what you want to print. Tap the share icon, scroll down, tap Print. Tap Printer and choose your Canon. Set copies and range, then tap Print.
Install Canon PRINT from the App Store for scanning, ink levels, maintenance functions and the Easy Wireless Connect setup described above.
Android
Current Android builds include the Mopria print framework, so basic printing works with nothing installed.
Open your document or photo. Tap the three-dot menu, then Print, or Share → Print. Tap the printer dropdown at the top. Select your Canon. Tap the print icon.
If the list is empty, go to Settings → Connected devices → Connection preferences → Printing and check a print service is enabled. Install Mopria Print Service from the Play Store if nothing's listed. Menu paths vary between Android skins, so search Settings for "printing" if you can't find it.
Install Canon PRINT from the Play Store for scanning and maintenance.
ChromeOS Click the clock, then the gear for Settings. Go to Print and scan → Printers. Your Canon should be listed under printers nearby. Click Set up. If not, click Add printer manually, name it, enter the IP address, set protocol to IPP and queue to ipp/print. If asked for a driver and your exact model isn't listed, choose the generic IPP option. On modern Canon hardware this works.
Scanning works through the built-in ChromeOS Scan app on most network-connected Canon all-in-ones.
Linux
Canon's Linux support is the thinnest of the major brands, so lead with the driverless route.
Driverless, recommended. Install and start cups and avahi-daemon, then open http://localhost:631, go to Administration → Add Printer, pick your Canon from discovered network printers, and select the IPP Everywhere driver.
Or from a terminal:
lpadmin -p Canon -E -v ipp://
Canon's own drivers, if you need more control. For PIXMA and MAXIFY inkjets, Canon publishes cnijfilter2 packages on its regional support sites, typically as Debian and RPM builds for a small number of supported distributions. Expect to do some work if you're not on one of them. For imageCLASS and i-SENSYS lasers, Canon publishes UFR II and UFR II LT drivers, which are generally more reliable than the inkjet side.
Scanning on Linux uses SANE. The driverless sane-escl backend covers many current Canon models with no vendor packages at all, and it's worth trying first. Canon's scangearmp2 package is the vendor alternative for supported PIXMA and MAXIFY models.
SELPHY compact photo printers
These are a different animal. Setup is via Canon PRINT over Wi-Fi or the printer's own Wireless Direct network, and they use dye-sublimation cassettes rather than ink. The paper and the ribbon come as a matched set, so the pack you buy determines the print size. There's no driver relationship to manage in the way there is on a PIXMA. Connect through the app and print.
Troubleshooting The printer shows offline in Windows
Almost always a changed IP address.
Print the network settings page and compare the IP to the port Windows is using, under Printer properties → Ports. If they differ, set a DHCP reservation in the router. In Printers & scanners, make sure Use Printer Offline isn't ticked. Check the Print Spooler service is running: open services.msc, find Print Spooler, start it if stopped. Remove and re-add the printer by IP rather than by discovered name. Setup can't find the printer Check the printer is actually in Easy Wireless Connect mode. It times out after a few minutes and you may have missed the window. Restart it on the printer and try again promptly. Confirm you're joining a 2.4 GHz network if your model is 2.4 GHz only. Temporarily disable firewall blocking on the computer, which Canon's own documentation calls for during Wi-Fi Connection Assistant setup. Turn AP isolation off on the router. Move the printer nearer the router for setup, then move it back. "The ink cartridge cannot be recognised" Remove the cartridge and check the orange protective cap and tape are fully off. Wipe the gold contacts with a dry lint-free cloth. Never touch them with bare fingers. Reseat until it clicks. A cartridge sitting slightly proud reads as absent. Check the region code. Canon cartridges are region-specific and one bought for another market may be rejected. Power off, unplug for ten minutes, plug back in. This clears a surprising number of transient chip read errors. Nozzle check shows gaps or banding
Work in order. Cleanings cost ink, so don't stack them.
Print a Nozzle Check pattern from the maintenance menu. If lines are missing, run one Cleaning. Print another nozzle check and compare. If it improved but isn't right, run one more cleaning. Two or three per session, maximum. If nothing improved, stop. Leave the printer switched on and idle overnight and try again. Time does more for dried ink than repeated cycles do. Only then run Deep Cleaning. It uses a lot of ink and Canon limits how often it should be used. On a FINE cartridge model, a channel that stays dead after all that usually means a new cartridge, since the nozzles live in the cartridge. That's a cheap fix by printer standards. On a separate-printhead model, remove the printhead, wipe the contacts and the underside gently with a lint-free cloth lightly dampened with distilled water, let it dry completely, and refit it. Support code B200
This one is serious and it's worth being honest about.
B200 means the printer has detected a fault in the printhead assembly, often abnormal heat or an electrical problem, and has shut itself down to avoid damage. Canon's own guidance is to power off, unplug, and contact support.
Before you accept that, two things are worth trying, in this order:
Power cycle properly. Turn the printer off with its own power button, unplug it from the wall, wait fifteen minutes, plug it back in and start it. Some B200 events are a protection state that clears. Reseat the printhead, on models where it's user-removable. Unplug the printer first. Open the cover, remove the cartridges, release the latch holding the printhead, lift it out by its edges, and inspect the gold contacts and the underside for ink buildup or corrosion. Clean the contacts and the matching ones in the carriage with a lint-free cloth, let everything dry fully, refit, latch, and reinstall the cartridges pressing each until it clicks.
If B200 returns after both, the printhead or the main board is likely faulty. On an older machine, a replacement printhead often costs more than a new printer. Get a quote before committing.
Support code 5B00, or P07 on older models
Every time a Canon inkjet cleans its nozzles, a little waste ink is flushed into an internal sponge called the ink absorber. Code 5B00 means the printer's counter says that sponge is full, and the machine has stopped rather than risk a leak.
Canon's answer is a service visit, because the absorber is a physical part that needs replacing. On an inexpensive printer, that often costs more than the printer is worth, which is frustrating and entirely understandable to be annoyed about.
You'll find third-party reset tools discussed widely online. Be clear about what they do: they reset the counter, not the sponge. The absorber is still saturated, and a saturated absorber can eventually leak ink into the machine and onto whatever it's sitting on. That's the trade-off you're making, and it's yours to make with the facts rather than without them.
Code 1700 is the earlier warning that the absorber is nearly full. That one you can usually dismiss and keep printing for a while, and it's a good moment to start planning.
Paper jams Turn the printer off before reaching in. Pull paper slowly, with both hands, in the direction it normally travels. Never yank it backwards and never use tweezers or scissors. Check the rear cover and duplex unit as well as the front. Torn fragments left behind cause the next three jams. If the paper won't move at all, stop and check your model's support code page rather than forcing it. Everything prints but scanning doesn't
Usually a half-finished install where print and scan came in through different routes.
On Windows, if the printer went in as an IPP device, printing works and scanning won't until you install Canon's software. On Mac, check whether it appears in Image Capture. If it prints but won't scan, install IJ Scan Utility Lite or the full package. On either, remove the device completely and reinstall once through a single method rather than layering installs. Five minutes that prevent most future problems Print the network settings page and keep it. IP address, MAC address and firmware version, all on one sheet. Set the DHCP reservation so the address stops moving. Run a nozzle check when the printer is new and healthy, and keep the printout. It gives you a baseline to compare against later. Print something every week. One page of mixed colour and black. On separate-printhead models this is the difference between a printer that lasts and a printhead replacement. Note whether your model has a replaceable maintenance cartridge, as many MAXIFY and MegaTank machines do. If it does, the absorber problem is a part you swap rather than a service visit. Common questions
Is ij.start.canon safe? Yes, that exact address is Canon's official setup portal. Addresses that look similar but add hyphens or a .com are not Canon. Type it directly rather than clicking a search result.
Where did Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY go? It's now just called Canon PRINT. Canon also merged the separate Canon PRINT Business app into it, so one app covers inkjet, laser and SELPHY.
Do I still need Canon drivers on Windows 11? For plain printing on a modern model, usually not. For scanning, photo paper profiles, borderless printing or the maintenance tools, yes.
My printer is an i-SENSYS but every guide says imageCLASS. Same machine, different regional name. Follow the instructions. Just buy toner matched to your local model number.
Should I fill all four MegaTank tanks if I only print black? Yes. The initial charge pulls from every channel simultaneously. Filling only black lets air into the colour lines, and clearing that costs more ink than filling the tanks would have.
Can I use third-party ink in a MegaTank? Physically, yes, the tanks accept any ink. There's no chip to authenticate. The real risks are inconsistent colour and clogging from ink not formulated for Canon's printheads. On a separate-printhead machine, a bad clog is an expensive part, so weigh the saving against that.
Why does my Canon use ink when I'm not printing? Automatic maintenance cycles keep the nozzles clear. Printing regularly reduces how often they run, which is why a lightly used printer often gets through more ink than a busy one.
My printer prints from the laptop but not the phone. Check both are on the same network rather than one being on a guest network, then check AP isolation is off on the router. That pair accounts for most of these.