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Since changing my Router my Canon MX870 printer prints "blank" pages?

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Shaitan00

New Around Here
For years now I've had a Canon MX870 printer (WIFI) connected to my Linksys EA4500 router which allowed me to print from various WIRED and WIRELESS computers/laptops without any issues (PDF, DOC, DOCX, word, chrome, etc...); and with home schooling during COVID-19 this was used a lot ...

Recently (last week) I purchased a new router (Asus RT-AX88U) to help improve the WIFI in my home (virtual classes in the kids rooms) but there is an unforeseen side-effect; none of my computers/laptops can print as they could before .... the printer gets the request and prints the number of pages expected AND it sounds like it is printing BUT the pages all come out BLANK each time.
- All computers are Windows 10
- I've added/removed the printer under Windows
- I've downloaded the latest Canon drivers (which installed some new thing) and this finds the printer succesfully
I am "sometimes" able to print when I use the CTRL-SHIFT-P command (which is odd! so not an ink issue) but not when I use the PRINT function in the application (Word, Chrome, etc...)

During the WIFI connection the printer had issues (it kept cycling between connected/disconnected) until I rebooted it and the router; and ever after that I couldn't complete the normal WIFI setup (with SSID/Password) as it failed each time, so in the end I had to use the WPS method (which worked perfectly).

I've taken a FRESH laptop (never connected to the printer before), loaded the drivers from Canon, and am having the exact same problem ... makes no sense to me how a new ROUTER could be causing this or how to resolved it?

Any suggestions would be welcome at this point...
 
Both your Linksys EA4500 and Canon MX870 were Wireless N. I believe the Canon is 2.4Ghz wireless N (Update: It actually appears to be wireless b/g only). Your wireless N printer (actually wireless b/g) or other devices could be having connectivity problems with your new AX router. If your printer has a direct to print mode (for example if it's broadcasting it's own SSID for printing to the printer instead of just connecting wirelessly to the router's local network) then you can try turning that direct wireless printing mode off since you are connecting to the local network with all your devices.

There are some settings you can try to help improve the new AX router's compatibility with your older printer... Under your RT-AX88U 2.4Ghz wireless settings try configuring it for N mode or legacy mode, turn off Smart Connect, turn off universal beamforming, set to WPA2 (not WPA3), etc.. Of course other forum members will have other suggestions to try but this is a start.

I posted some other suggestions about improving 2.4Ghz compatibility in another thread. You don't have to do everything suggested. These are just things to try to see if they solve your issues by improving compatibility with older Wifi devices. I posted this information below. This shouldn't effect your 5Ghz router settings that you can leave for Wifi 6 compatibility with your newer devices.

2.4GHz connection issues:
  1. Change wireless mode to 'Legacy' (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz)
  2. Change channel bandwidth to '40 MHz' (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz -> Channel bandwidth = 40Mhz)
  3. Another better option for #2 is to Change channel bandwidth to '20 MHz' (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz -> Channel bandwidth = 20 Mhz)
  4. Change control channel to 1, 6, or 11 (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz) (l = lower band, u = upper band)
  5. Wireless -> Professional -> 2.4GHz -> disable Explicit beamforming and Universal Beamforming
  6. If you have another wireless router or combination modem/router broadcasting the exact same SSID name change it to a different name or turn that 2.4Ggz Wifi broadcast OFF.
  7. Turn OFF Smart Connect in the wireless settings. (Wireless -> General -> Enable Smart Connect = OFF)
  8. Use different SSID names for the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz broadcasts.
  9. Change authentication method to 'WPA2-Personal' (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz -> Authentication Method = WPA2-Personal)
  10. Disable 802.11ax/Wifi 6 mode (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz -> 802.11ax/Wifi 6 Mode = Disable)
  11. Note: Always click 'Apply' at the bottom of the Wireless settings page to finalize any changes you make.
  12. Make sure the router is updated with the latest firmware.
 
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Both your Linksys EA4500 and Canon MX870 were Wireless N. I believe the Canon is 2.4Ghz wireless N. Your wireless N printer or other devices could be having connectivity problems with your new AX router. If your printer has a direct to print mode (for example if it's broadcasting it's own SSID for printing to the printer instead of just connecting wirelessly to the router's local network) then you can try turning that direct wireless printing mode off since you are connecting to the local network with all your devices.

There are some settings you can try to help improve the new AX router's compatibility with your older printer... Under your RT-AX88U 2.4Ghz wireless settings try configuring it for N mode or legacy mode, turn off Smart Connect, turn off universal beamforming, set to WPA2 (not WPA3), etc.. Of course other forum members will have other suggestions to try but this is a start.

I posted some other suggestions about improving 2.4Ghz compatibility in another thread. You don't have to do everything suggested. These are just things to try to see if they solve your issues by improving compatibility with older Wifi devices. I posted this information below. This shouldn't effect your 5Ghz router settings that you can leave for Wifi 6 compatibility with your newer devices.

2.4GHz connection issues:
  1. Change wireless mode to 'Legacy' (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz)
  2. Change channel bandwidth to '40 MHz' (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz -> Channel bandwidth = 40Mhz)
  3. Another better option for #2 is to Change channel bandwidth to '20 MHz' (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz -> Channel bandwidth = 20 Mhz)
  4. Change control channel to 1, 6, or 11 (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz) (l = lower band, u = upper band)
  5. Wireless -> Professional -> 2.4GHz -> disable Explicit beamforming and Universal Beamforming
  6. If you have another wireless router or combination modem/router broadcasting the exact same SSID name change it to a different name or turn that 2.4Ggz Wifi broadcast OFF.
  7. Turn OFF Smart Connect in the wireless settings. (Wireless -> General -> Enable Smart Connect = OFF)
  8. Use different SSID names for the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz broadcasts.
  9. Change authentication method to 'WPA2-Personal' (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz -> Authentication Method = WPA2-Personal)
  10. Disable 802.11ax/Wifi 6 mode (Wireless -> General -> Band = 2.4GHz -> 802.11ax/Wifi 6 Mode = Disable)
  11. Note: Always click 'Apply' at the bottom of the Wireless settings page to finalize any changes you make.
  12. Make sure the router is updated with the latest firmware.
Thanks for the fantastic list - for any future problems I'll go down it again - sadly I went to each point and tested and print and it did not resolve the problem.
 
Is the new router using the same IP subnet as the old router (e.g. 192.168.0.x versus 192.168.50.x)? Maybe some machines are trying to print to the old IP of the printer? Just a guess.
 
Good idea - problem is when I hit PRINT the printer actually DOES something - the file goes into the queue and paper comes out and it makes the noise as expected (as if it was printing) but the pages come all out blank ; so clearly there is communication between them.
 
Good idea - problem is when I hit PRINT the printer actually DOES something - the file goes into the queue and paper comes out and it makes the noise as expected (as if it was printing) but the pages come all out blank ; so clearly there is communication between them.
It's still likely a wireless communication compatibility issue. I just looked up your model printer and it actually says it's wireless b/g or Wifi 3 compatible NOT even N or Wifi 4 compatible. From the Canon MX870 original product description:

"Disclaimers
1. Wireless printing requires a working Ethernet network with wireless 802.11b/g capability. Wireless performance may vary based on terrain and distance between the printer and wireless network clients."

I would select b/g legacy compatibility mode in the router for the 2.4Ghz Wifi settings and turn off all other advanced settings. You could also try using a wireless bridge between the two devices for example with the old Linksys router plugged into the printer's Ethernet port and set up as a wireless bridge or access point. Because of the b/g mode of the ten plus year old printer you could run into these problems with any type of future wireless router upgrade unless you use a wireless bridge/access point.

For about $20-$40 USD there are universal wireless N and AC adapters (some supporting 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands) you can purchase that plug into the legacy device's Ethernet ports. By using an access point or bridge you could then use the new AX router's default settings and run at full speed over 2.4Ghz Wifi. I know you won't like hearing this suggestion but although it does currently have Windows 10 driver support due to future driver support issues and other incompatibilities at some point you may want to consider upgrading the entire printer.
 
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