Canon BJC printer keeps printing test pages

Helen, is the printer correctly installed in laptop? Check if shows under Printers and devices. If not, install and show it as default. Make sure your usb connections are ok.

I could be wrong but it sounds like a communication error between your laptop and the printer, I would check that your Canon is compatible with being connected via a USB to parallel cable. If you're running a network you could install the printer onto a PC that has a parallel connection output and then share the printer. More info can be found at this link.

Purchase a PCMCIA parallel port card. That's a PC Card parallel port adapter. It provides a native parallel port to laptops that do not have one built in. Works perfectly in ALL cases, even with the scanner cartridge.

Purchase a PCMCIA parallel port adapter. the USB to parallel adapters are a pain to set up and are flakey at best. The PC card adapter provides a native parallel port to laptops without one, and works perfectly in ALL cases, even with the scanner cartridge.

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THE BEST WAY to add an LPT printer port to your laptop is to use a PCMCIA to Parallel adapter card.
The PC Card slot provides access to the laptop's data bus, and the PC Card adapter easily sets up as a native LPT port within almost any OS.

There is no delay, or connection problems as I've seen in so many complaints about USB to Parallel or Legacy Serial adapters. Printing is Instant.

PCMCIA is a mature standard, and works seamlessly with XP and Vista, and almost any other OS.

PARALLEL is the old standard fast data protocol. IEEE 1284 ECP mode up to 1.5 Mbps.
The BJC-80 and the BJC-85 have the same print speed. The BJC-85 just added USB.

INFRARED is ver 1.0 on the BJC-80, and printing is a bit slower at 115.2 kbps. Even the BJC-85 with its higher IRDA transfer rating and a laptop's built-in IR port, the XP print spooler has problems with it, and can hang if printing more than one page, and especially with more than one document. It will not scan.

I use IR for printing single pages only with either the BJC-80 or BJC-85.
USB to IRDA adapters work fine, and are less expensive $5-6 than
PCMCIA to Parallel adapters, $20-25.

I have tested and used several PCMCIA adapters from different manufacturers, and they all work perfectly as a hot-pluggable, instant LPT and/or Legacy Serial port for my laptops.
TIPS:
After installing the PC Card driver, check Device Manager for the LPT port number.
Install the printer manually from the list of printers, and select the proper LPT port.
Most laptops have two PCMCIA slots. If you change slots, the adapter card driver may reinstall, and assign the next available LPT port, LPT2.

To scan with the BJC-80, you must have an LPT port.
The PC Card adapter also allows the use of the IS-12 scanner cartridge within XP or Vista.
Within Vista, set the Canon ISScan software to run in Windows 98 compatibility mode, to allow use of the TWAIN driver.

Normal 0 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} USB to Parallel conversion requires translation by XP and Vista's 'hardware interleave' software as well as the USB device manufacturers driver. The software package just doesn't work well with older peripherals that use legacy parallel or serial com ports. Too many sloppy layers.

THE BEST WAY to add an LPT printer port to your laptop is to use a PCMCIA to Parallel adapter card.
The PC Card slot provides access to the laptop's data bus, and the PC Card adapter easily sets up as a native LPT port within almost any OS.

There is no delay, or connection problems as I've seen in so many complaints about USB to Parallel or Legacy Serial adapters. Printing is Instant.

PCMCIA is a mature standard, and works seamlessly with XP and Vista, and almost any other OS.

PARALLEL is the old standard fast data protocol. IEEE 1284 ECP mode up to 1.5 Mbps.
The BJC-80 and the BJC-85 have the same print speed. The BJC-85 just added USB.

INFRARED is ver 1.0 on the BJC-80, and printing is a bit slower at 115.2 kbps. Even the BJC-85 with its higher IRDA transfer rating and a laptop's built-in IR port, the XP print spooler has problems with it, and can hang if printing more than one page, and especially with more than one document. It will not scan.

I use IR for printing single pages only with either the BJC-80 or BJC-85.
USB to IRDA adapters work fine, and are less expensive $5-6 than
PCMCIA to Parallel adapters, $20-25.

I have tested and used several PCMCIA adapters from different manufacturers, and they all work perfectly as a hot-pluggable, instant LPT and/or Legacy Serial port for my laptops.
TIPS:
After installing the PC Card driver, check Device Manager for the LPT port number.
Install the printer manually from the list of printers, and select the proper LPT port.
Most laptops have two PCMCIA slots. If you change slots, the adapter card driver may reinstall, and assign the next available LPT port, LPT2.

To scan with the BJC-80, you must have an LPT port.
The PC Card adapter also allows the use of the IS-12 scanner cartridge within XP or Vista.
Within Vista, set the Canon ISScan software to run in Windows 98 compatibility mode, to allow use of the TWAIN driver.

Try disable bidirectional support

I'M USING MY BJC 80 ON A PACKARD BELL M35-U-57, VISTA HOME BASIC. CONNECTED THE PRINTER WITH A GENERIC USB-PARALELL CABLE, NO DRIVER. FIRST HAD THOSE 5 TO 7 MINUTES DELAYS FOR PRINTING. WENT TO THE PRINTERS "PROPERTIES", "ADVANCED OPTIONS" AND TICKED "PRINT DIRECTLY", IN THE "PORTS" SECTION I DISABLED "BIDERECTIONAL PORT". IT'S WORKING SWEET. NO MATTER THE QUALITY. ANY COMMENT OR SUGESTION: [email protected]

Purchase a PCMCIA parallel port adapter. the USB to parallel adapters are a pain to set up and are flakey at best. The PC card adapter provides a native parallel port to laptops without one, and works perfectly in ALL cases, even with the scanner cartridge. In Vista, the printer may then be manually installed from its list of printers, and set to use the new LPT port.

Try installing the latest driver: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&tabact=SupportDetailTabAct&fcategoryid=230&modelid=7998