Solved (workaround) Cannot Scan From Canon Printer To Win 10 Pc - Standard User Account

If you just want the workaround, go to the numbered points below. If you've already installed the printer software, start at point 2.

This is about an issue with Canon printers, and probably others, where it is not possible to scan from a multipurpose printer (using the printer's control panel) to a WIN 10 PC (and possibly others) using a standard user account. It can only be done with an admin account.

The following relates to my TS5100 series printer. It may differ for others. It's only useful if you have a number of scans to do and you want to do them at the printer. It's a long way from my PC to my printer, so it's useful to me (and I wish I had a dollar for every trip I've made between PC and printer in sorting this out! )

When attempting to scan from the printer with only a standard account open on the PC, the printer control panel says: "Set the PC to start scanning". It says that because it doesn't know where to send the scan. It will have the option: "Local (USB)", but my printer doesn't have a USB port (strange option to have on a printer with no USB port ), and that's not what I want anyway.

A workaround that works on my TS5160 printer is as follows. The workaround avoids having to open the admin account when you want to scan):

1. Install the printer drivers on an admin account. It won't let me do otherwise (you've probably already done this).
2. In a standard account (the admin account can be closed now if you had it open), run the IJ Scan Utility - find it by typing IJ into the search box.
3. Scan a document from the PC using the IJ Scan Utility that opens. This appears to establish a Printer- to-PC contact with the printer, which is otherwise missing.
4. Go to the printer control panel and select the PC as the destination for the scans. It should already be showing as the destination, but it doesn't work without re-selecting it.
5. Scan from the printer control panel in the usual way.

The resetting (points 2 & 3 above) has to be done each time the printer is turned on.

It's also possible to scan from the printer by logging in to an admin account and staying logged in while scanning from the printer. This can be done with either the admin account or the standard account open, or both, but don't log out of the admin account. Note that you can tell the printer to save the scans in standard-account folders, even if you're working from an admin account - look under Settings on the IJ Utility panel. And you can view the scans from your admin account.

Also note that in the Settings panel, you have to set up for both scanning from your PC and scanning from the printer - see the first and second of three tabs at top left in Settings (that's where they are on my printer settings). It defaults to the first tab each time you open it. I fell for that one a couple of times.

There are other options that can be found by internet search, but they seem to be more complicated or less secure (giving your standard account admin privileges).

It took me about 5 hours of investigating this issue to come up with the above, so I'm hoping others can benefit from it. And this will be here in a year's time when I next go to scan something and I've forgotten what to do.

 

Hold the phone.
Another hour on this.
It seems that if I keep going to the Select PC option and press Search again, it will eventually find the PC! The most times I have had to do that so far is 6.
Maybe it's just slow. The PC is connected wirelessly to the printer, which may explain it, although it's showing as a reasonably strong connection. That said, I never had that problem when I used the method set out in my first post . Maybe that's because while I was scanning from my PC, the printer had time to find the PC... maybe. I didn't have the problem when I used the Admin account
Anyway, I just tried it some more, this time giving it time to warm up a bit. It seems to work OK. Maybe it has to jump through more hoops when using a standard account? Who knows.
CONCLUSION: Just be a bit patient and let it do its thing. If you have the printer on all the time, it might never give a problem.

 

OK. A new discovery, as the above no longer works (did it ever?)
Go to Canon IJ Network Scanner Selector EX2 (type IJ into the search bar and look for it there)
In the panel that hopefully opens, select the item with the radio button (there's only one on mine). The radio button might already be selected, but you have to select the name next to the button.
Click on "Scan-from-Operation-Panel Settings" at the bottom of the panel.
On the panel that hopefully opens, select the item with the box next to it. Again, the box might already have a tick in it, but you have to click on the name next to the box. If tchat turns off the tick, re-tick the box.
OK out of everything.
Now try a scan from the printer panel.
That worked for me. I don't know how much of the above is necessary, but it worked.

 

Are you using a static IP for the scanner / printer or does canon create their own port, I know HP makes their own port?
What OSes are you dealing with?

 

Hi foogoo.
Thanks for your interest.
I'm pretty sure it creates its own port. I'm on Win 10.

 

I just tried a scan, and it worked.
I unticked the box in the panel that opens when I Click on "Scan-from-Operation-Panel Settings" (see above; the box was ticked). After clearing that box, it didn't run. Maybe that's all that's needed. And maybe that box becomes unticked from time to time?