Tag Archives: printer cable

fixed : Use old Canon CanoScan scanner on a current M-series Silicon Mac

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Question :
I have a perfectly good USB flatbed scanner, a Canon CanonScan 56000F. It was sold from 2008 to 2013, so it’s about 15 years old, but it still works perfectly. But now I am switching to a new Mac…
Is there any way to use my old Canon CanoScan 5600F scanner on my new MacBook M4 ?


Answer :
The Good News : if you have the right driver installed, your current day Mac will immediately detect the scanner if you connect it to it’s USB-C port.

But Canon itself does not support use of old scanners like the CanoScan 5600F on Macs that do not have Intel processors, but…
The official latest version of the driver released by Canon is available here :
https://www.canon.com.au/support/sims-content?pid=9085ae5c9e6c469ea88ce957f517b290&cid=0109CB956A81455789CF2183D7D13E12&utm_source=copilot.com

Eventhough this version is listed as supporting nothing beyond macOS 10.14 Mojave, this installer can still be used on modern day Macs with silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4/M5) processors running the latest versions of macOS (like macOS 15 Sequoia and macOS 26 Tahoe), but the installer is the main problem, as Rosetta needs to be installed to use this Intel-based installer on a current Mac. So, yes it can be doen, but is is a hassle…

The alternative is to just install the essential components (just 2 small files) :
Canon IJScanner2 – in Image Capture’s Devices folder
CanoScan 5600F.ds – in Image Capture’s TWAIN Data Sources folder

If you want just these 2 files, you can download them here :
Canon CanoScan driver.zip

NOTE : if the file extension of the download is not .zip, you will need to rename the file’s extension to .zip

After having drag&drop-installed both files in the correct folders, your Mac will immediatelyy recognise the scanner when you connect it to your Mac using USB-C.

If you do not have a USB-to-USB-C converter available, you can get a USB-C printer cable (a USB-2B-to-USB-C cable), e.g. from Amazon – even a cheap one should do the trick :

USB-C Printer Cable 2m by Dreaazhi – on Amazon DE

USB-C Printer Cable 2m by Dreaazhi – on Amazon UK

USB-C Printer Cable 6.6ft by AINOPE – on Amazon US

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : can’t connect old printer to new Mac using USB

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Question :

A friend gave me a rather old printer that was working great for him, and said that I could easily use it with my MacBook also, using a USB-cable. So I took a USB cable with an old (flat) USB-connector on the one side and an new (small) USB-connetor on the other side and plugged that into the printer and into my MacBook Air (or Pro) that only has those same new (small) USB-ports. The connection feels good, but when I try to print from my Mac, the printer is not recognised…

What is wrong ?


Answer :

From what you are describing, you are using the wrong port on the printer : you are using a ‘regular’ USB-A port, probably on the top, front or side of the printer… you should however use the ‘square’ USB-B printer port that is on the back of your printer.

See the difference between various USB connectors and ports in this image (an Adobe Stock image) :

The ports on your Mac are USB-C [ 2nd from the right ].
The port on the printer you were trying to use is USB-A [ 1st from the left ] (or USB 3.0 [ 3rd from the left ] which is the same in size and shape) – that usually is for plugging in a USB-stick to print documents directly from a USB-stick
The port on back of the printer – the one you should use – is USB-B [ 2nd from the left ].

If you don’t have a ‘printer cable’ (USB-A to USB-B) and a USB-C adapter piece (USB-C plug-on cap or cable for USB-A), you can buy them from any electronics store. Or you can buy a ‘modern printer cable’ (USB-B to USB-C).
Here are direct links to buy these from Amazon :

modern printer cable (USB-B to USB-C) from Amazon.com
modern printer cable (USB-B to USB-C) from Amazon.co.uk
modern printer cable (USB-B to USB-C) from Amazon.de

all-in-one modern & regular printer cable (USB-C/USB-A to USB-B) from Amazon.com
all-in-one modern & regular printer cable (USB-C/USB-A to USB-B) from Amazon.co.uk
all-in-one modern & regular printer cable (USB-C/USB-A to USB-B) from Amazon.de

to keep this website online MacManus.nl makes a tiny fee if you buy from these Amazon links

If you plug in the right cable from the back of your printer to your Mac, the printer will berecognised and you will be able to print.

That’s it !

enjoy 😉