Post by: RNKIII on August 11, 2008, 12:46:44 PM
My wife has a PPC Macbook running 10.4.11 on our wireless in-house network. She prints to a Canon iP4000, that is connected via USB to our Airport Extreme.
VERY often what ever she is printing will stop midway through the process and she will need to stop the job and restart it to complete the printing. This results in wasted paper, as the job re-starts at the beginning, and also printer queue 'backups' due to the unfinished job that sets in the queue in a 'processing' status.
Most often when she stops & restarts the job she will get the brief message that the system is 'looking for iP4000 printer'.
This has reached the point of 'WE need to get this fixed or get a new printer!!'
What WE'VE done;
The Airport Extreme has been reset - powered off/on.
It has the latest and greatest software updates applied, as does the Macbook.
The Macbook has been powered off/on, permissions rebuilt (numerous times), and has the latest Canon print drivers installed.
The printer works great, when it prints, both in B&W and color.
BUT.... there is SOMETHING not right in the connection-retention process
and WE NEED to get it FIXED. 
Any and all suggestions and assistance will be gratefully read and applied to appropriate portions of this system... (wife excluded, as WE know there is no problem there)...
TIA,
Bob K. rnkiii
Post by: Mayo on August 11, 2008, 03:52:27 PM
If so, here is a trouble-shooting doc at Apple support.
Three things that I would do if I was in your shoes:
1. Try another USB cable, especially if the printer screws up while connected to a Mac via USB.
2. Delete and then reselect the printer in the printer utility. (I don't think that it will help but I'll try anything when I am desperate!)
3. Consider the possibility that the base station is not functioning properly...
I did a quick Google search and you aren't the only person having wireless printing problems with that particular printer, although some people report having no problems with printing... A MacRumors Thread
The symptoms that you have described are odd... in my admittedly limited experience a networked printer either works or it doesn't. I have two printers networked wirelessly using an AEBS: one via USB and the other via Ethernet. Neither has exhibited symptoms like what you are experiencing; the only occasional glitch is when our power is interrupted and I have to reset the AsanteTalk adapter that lets me connect our AppleTalk LaserWriter 360 to an Ethernet port.
Post by: RNKIII on August 11, 2008, 10:38:28 PM
Printer works 'as advertised' when directly connected to a Mac (either iMac or MB)....
Have done the 'delete / reselect' dance a number of times....
AEBS functions 'as advertised' in all other departments so don't THINK there is anything wrong there...
Seems from the various discussions that this is not limited to one type/make of printer and that it 'might' be traced to a software release introducing the problem.
VERY FRUSTRATING to US.
If anyone comes across any other information / suggestions, they will be tried and applied...
Thanks, Bob K. rnkiii
Post by: Mayo on August 12, 2008, 12:45:36 AM
1. Interference from wireless telephone, microwave, etc.?
2. Path of Least Resistance Workaround: Connect the printer to the iMac and enable Printer Sharing.
Post by: RNKIII on August 12, 2008, 08:16:38 AM
Not sure how we'd test/identify this type of interference... Has not been a problem that we know of... Both items are within range of he MB... but she is not 'usually' multi-tasking, so the other pieces of equipment are 'silent' when she's printing/working/...
Does the iMac have to be 'up/awake' to make this work... iMac is 'on' 24/7 but does 'nap' on occasion.
Thanks,
Bob K. rnkiii
Post by: Mayo on August 12, 2008, 11:17:02 AM
The iMac would have to be awake if it is networked wirelessly. You can let the display sleep but the iMac must be wide-awake. If it is connected to the base station via Ethernet you can use WakeOnLAN to wake it up and put it back to sleep when you want to access the printer. (We need to become more energy-conscious in the U.S.. I advocate turning-off or at least using energy-saving modes on any Mac that doesn't need to be on 24/7. Unless a Mac has a person sitting in front of it or it is being used as some kind of server it should be off or asleep.)
You say that the printer "often" malfunctions when wirelessly networked... Did it ever work flawlessly? Have you used it directly connected long enough to be certain that it never screws up? Has your online reading turned up any likely software "suspects" that might cause your problem? I'm not questioning your methodology; you seem to have been very thorough so-far but these are things that I would be asking myself. I am also usually very thorough but I miss obvious things from time-to-time.
Depending on your answers, can you live with the printer sharing option or sending files to the iMac for printing when you are working on that computer? I did that before I had an AEBS; it isn't convenient but it works... If you cannot find any fixes online you could be stuck. In the end, it may be easier and less frustrating to buy a new printer that you are certain will work as expected. If Costco carries the printer you want (either online or in the store; online models are different from the store stock) I would get it there because of the Costco 90-day return warranty.
Post by: RNKIII on August 13, 2008, 03:18:57 PM
It appears that when printing is done from a word processing app all flows as required..... BUT, when a web site/form is printed, that is when 'hiccups' occur.
Currently WE are printing via the 'shared printer' on the iMac and so far, things "SEEM" to be going OK
Film & details at 11..
Bob K. rnkiii
Post by: Mayo on August 13, 2008, 05:31:56 PM
QUOTE
It appears that when printing is done from a word processing app all flows as required..... BUT, when a web site/form is printed, that is when 'hiccups' occur.
This may be crucial info. Printing from a Web browser can be problematic at times... Do you try to print everything on the Web page or do you click a button on the Web sites that brings up a more printer-friendly version that is usually just text? Which browser are you using and have you found any online references to such printing problems? I find the printer-friendly version to work best. Not that I do much printing from web sites these days... I usually save them as PDFs. Printing from a saved PDF may also mitigate your problem.
At any rate it sounds like printer sharing may work for you...
Post by: RNKIII on August 13, 2008, 07:50:13 PM
WE will try the current 'printer sharing' alternative for 'awhile' to see how it performs..
Thanks again for the information and tips.
Bob K. rnkiii
Post by: sandbox on August 14, 2008, 04:15:34 AM
I print to two printers at 30 ft. through concrete walls and the only time I have a problem is when the files are huge. Internet sites often have a lot of hidden data, sometimes they're not formatted properly and that could cause confusion to a printer with unsophisticated software.
Post by: Xairbusdriver on August 14, 2008, 03:44:17 PM
Post by: RHPConsult on August 15, 2008, 02:01:54 PM
You know that my memory of solutions has a half-life of about a day-and-a-half (when they really work!) and so I can't recapituate it readily. I did all the recommended (above) steps with help from a variety of TeeEssers.
Harv (were he in touch, presently) would ask if Safe Boot produced the same results, and if the answer were negative, he would suggest a New User to "test" the system.
I seem to recall that before we replaced our 1st edition AEBS, some web sites were a bear, semi-randomly. to print and one suggestion was an inquiry about how many different kinds of fonts were involved. Don't really know how one deals with someone else's artistic excesses. Has she tried a WP document drafted with an over-abundance of fonts to see if We can duplicate the "disorder"?