Options & Supplies… > General tab:

Queue Name: Canon_iPF8000 ***IMPORTANT NOTE BELOW***
Host Name: localhost
Driver Version: 1.30
URL: garobe://Canon%20iPF8000%20286AF793%29/_printer._tcp.local./?bon

Options & Supplies… > Driver tab:
Print Using: Canon iPF8000(CUPS)

*** We’ve found that if leave the default queue name as is, you get a bad URL address like the one listed below. Try renaming the default queue name when you add the printer if your “URL” keeps displaying as:
socket://192.168.X.X:9100/?bidi

The (lower level) support representative, lets call him Paul, said that the problem was with my installation of Leopard and that I needed to reinstall my entire operating system.

To me this was evidence that the Canon representatives had no idea what was wrong or how to fix the problem. So I called Paul on it and the conversation went something like this.

Paul, do you realize that it takes hours and hours to reinstall and reconfigure a computer like this one. Did the “software engineers” say what they thought was wrong, and exactly how this would remedy the problem? He said they did not know what was wrong. This is a clear indication that the fix they suggested, reinstalling Leopard, was likely not the proper one. I said, basically it sounds like you’re giving me the b.s. copout that all software support people give when they don’t know what else to do; they tell the customer to reinstall the operating system. He agreed, believe it or not.

There was simply nothing, nothing, that reinstalling my operating system was going to do to fix this problem.

And in the end I was right. After all the time I had already wasted on the phone with Canon, I suggested that we run through everything again. Download new driver, reset printing, blah blah blah, nothing worked. Then I thought, we’ll maybe this time I will chose LDP instead of IP Printing when I set up the printer (it ran under IP Printing in Tiger). And bang, it worked.

So after dozens of hours on the phone with Canon, faxing them my logs (including NETWORK logs), having their software engineers look at everything, and being on the verge of telling me to spend hours wiping and rebuilding my whole computer for the operation of ONE SINGLE DRIVER, the problem was fixed by simply the way the printer was specified in the network. There really is no excuse for Canon not knowing this (especially since it was escalated) and for this to have been the first thing they suggested checking. Yes I’m glad that my ipf8000 will now print with Leopard. And yes, I am tired of this type of support from Canon regarding this printer.

Our 9100 works to full satisfaction. Service is splendid.
(we bought a 5 year maintenance contract when we bought the printer)

We had 2 problems which were solved by a Canon technician the next day !!

HOURS of tech support

NO answer
the plugin wont use the profiles!

My 8100 worked great under tiger…under leopard…wont work..
The plugin doesnt want to use the profiles…

HELP

I am now up to 12 hours of “homework” since the release of THIS driver (in addition to dozenes and dozens of hours of workarounds I have spent printing to the ipf8000, when canon ADMITTED they did not have a driver for x000 machines under Leopard). So calling Canon 4 different times, faxing and emailing logs, having their higher level “engineers” look into the problem, etc doesn’t count as doing my homework? We seem to have a different definition of “homework”. My article was a fair and responsible (actually, it was rather tame) account of my ipf8000 experience. Believe me, I wish I were in your shoes, but I won’t speak for your experiences. They are not mine. It is quite possible and plausible that we have very different experiences although we may own the same printer. Nevertheless hearing that some people are getting their ipf machines to print with Leopard makes me think this is a resolvable problem. Either the driver is broken or Canon can’t tell me how to get their driver to work. I have been on the phone with them between 3-4 hours.

This is where I currenlty am with this problem.

Firmware is updated to 1.32 using the canon firmware updater (seems like my network setup is fine)
Photoshop Plugin can export file and it will print properly on ipf8000 (seems like my network works fine).
Browser UI works fine (seems like my network works fine).

Have installed and reinstalled the driver multiple times (seems like their driver is broken).
I have installed the driver on a ppc and an intel running Leopard (seems like the driver is broken).
Printed fine under Tiger (seems like my network was fine and seem like the Leopard driver is broken).
Have reset print settings.
The Canon customer service people have walked me through these steps with identical outcomes (seems like even Canon can’t tell me how to get their driver to work).
The driver installs, apparently as an ipf5000 driver, because the print driver shows a picture of an ipf5000 in the interface and the only media selectable is Plain Paper (seems like the driver is broken).
The most recent MCT from canon crashes when I attempt to upload media to the printer (seems like something is broken).

I have installed and uninstalled the drivers, tried multiple downloads of the driver and Media Configuration Tool.

It is good to know that people here have ipf8000s that work under Leopard. I am going to call Canon Support later and see what they can tell me.

Your article sounds like you are seeking vengeance rather than trying to help the general public. Feel free to ask for help on getting your setup running but I don’t think it’s responsible to publish articles saying its “broken” without doing more homework.

I understand and appreciate your perspective. I think you are seeing the proverbial glass a full and I am seeing it a empty (along with my wallet). I do believe that support goes both ways. If you have a Canon ipf8000 and are using windows, you are lucky. Things could be different. The rate at which a company solves problems in one area is indicative of they way it solves them in other areas. Really, how long should it take a company to write a driver for ANY OS? We are not talking about a “buy-a-computer-get-a-free-printer” printer here. This is a 5500 dollar printer that I have had to use a work around for almost six months. I have invested hundreds of hours troubleshooting problems with this printer, have had major service calls, banding problems, huge ink wastage as a result of it, and wasted hundreds of hours trying to get it to preform at even the basic level.

I have been patient and given Canon the benefit of the doubt, but I have lost to much money and productivity to recommend Canon ipf printers. I realize that others feel differently and that is what makes discussion like this worth while. Perhaps I was a bit harsh, but I still think that people should consider issues like these when they make a purchasing decision.

–John