How to Share Your Canon MP237 Printer and Scan to PDF: A Comprehensive Guide

Sharing your Canon MP237 printer can significantly enhance productivity in both home and office environments. This guide provides you with detailed methods to share your printer via Wi-Fi, cloud services, and Windows network settings. Additionally, we’ll briefly touch upon utilizing your printer’s scanning capabilities, specifically addressing how to scan with a Canon MP237 and save documents as PDF files, a common need for many users.

Sharing Your Printer via Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi sharing offers a convenient way to connect multiple devices to your Canon MP237 wirelessly. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Establish a Wi-Fi Connection: Ensure you have a stable Wi-Fi network in place.

2. Connect Your Primary PC: Connect the computer directly attached to the Canon MP237 to your Wi-Fi network.

3. Set Network Location to Home Network: When prompted, configure your network location as a “Home Network.” This setting is crucial for enabling sharing features within your local network.

4. Prepare Your Canon MP237 Printer: Make sure your Canon MP237 is powered on and properly connected to the primary PC.

5. Driver Installation: Verify that the correct printer drivers for your Canon MP237 are installed on the primary PC.

6. Access Network and Sharing Center: Click the Wi-Fi icon in your system notification area (usually in the bottom right corner of your screen).

7. Open Network and Sharing Center: Select “Open Network and Sharing Center” to access network configuration settings.

8. Configure Homegroup Settings: Within the Network and Sharing Center, look for “Homegroup” settings and adjust sharing options. Ensure that the “Printers” option is checked to enable printer sharing.

9. Complete Homegroup Creation: Click “Next” and wait while Windows configures your Homegroup. Follow any on-screen prompts to finalize the setup.

10. Verify Printer Addition: Click the “Start” button, then select “Devices and Printers.” Confirm that your Canon MP237 printer is listed and accessible within the Homegroup network.

11. Access Printer Properties: Right-click on the Canon MP237 printer icon within the Homegroup in “Devices and Printers.”

12. Print a Test Document: Select “Printer Properties,” open a document you wish to print, and click “Print” to test the Wi-Fi sharing functionality.

Sharing Your Printer via Cloud

Cloud printing offers accessibility beyond your local network, allowing you to print from anywhere with an internet connection. Google Cloud Print is a straightforward method:

1. Open Google Chrome: Launch the Google Chrome browser on your PC or Mac that is connected to the Canon MP237.

2. Access Chrome Settings: Click the three vertical dots (More icon) in the top right corner of Chrome and select “Settings” from the dropdown menu.

3. Show Advanced Settings: Scroll down to the bottom of the Settings page and click “Show advanced settings.”

4. Navigate to Google Cloud Print: Continue scrolling down until you locate the “Google Cloud Print” section and click “Manage.”

5. Add Classic Printer: If your Canon MP237 is a classic printer (lacks built-in Wi-Fi connectivity), select “Add classic printers” to connect it through your computer.

6. Select Printers to Add: Choose “Add Printer(s)” and then check the box next to your Canon MP237 printer in the list of available printers.

7. Finalize Printer Addition: Click “Add Printer(s)” to complete the cloud printing setup. Your Canon MP237 is now accessible via Google Cloud Print.

Sharing Your Printer on Windows 7 and 8 Networks

For users on Windows 7 or Windows 8, the sharing process involves network and sharing center configurations:

1. Install Printer Drivers: Ensure the correct drivers for your Canon MP237 are installed on the computer directly connected to the printer.

2. Printer Connection Verification: Confirm that your Canon MP237 is physically connected to your computer and powered on.

3. Open Control Panel: Click “Start” and then select “Control Panel” to access system settings.

4. Access Network and Sharing Center: In the Control Panel, find and click on “Network and Sharing Center.”

5. Change Advanced Sharing Settings: On the left-hand side of the Network and Sharing Center window, click “Change advanced sharing settings.”

6. Choose Sharing Profile: Select the appropriate profile you wish to modify. For home networks, choose “Private.” For public or guest networks, adjust accordingly.

7. Enable File and Printer Sharing: Within the chosen profile, activate “Turn on file and printer sharing” to allow other network users to access your shared Canon MP237 printer.

8. Access Devices and Printers: Return to the Control Panel and open “Devices and Printers.”

9. Open Printer Properties for Sharing: Right-click on your Canon MP237 printer and select “Printer properties.”

10. Enable Printer Sharing: Navigate to the “Sharing” tab in the Printer Properties window. Check the box labeled “Share this printer” and apply the changes. Your Canon MP237 is now shared on your Windows network.

How to Scan Canon MP237 to PDF

Beyond sharing your Canon MP237 for printing, its scanning function is equally valuable. Saving scans as PDFs is a common requirement for document management and sharing. While specific steps can slightly vary based on your operating system and software, the general process to scan to PDF with a Canon MP237 is as follows:

1. Place Document on Scanner: Open the scanner lid of your Canon MP237 and place the document you wish to scan face down on the glass surface.

2. Open Canon Scanning Utility: Access the Canon scanning software on your computer. This is often named “MP Navigator EX” or “IJ Scan Utility,” depending on your software version. You can usually find it in your Start Menu under “Canon Utilities” or a similar program group.

3. Select “PDF” as Output Format: Within the scanning utility, look for settings related to “Document Type” or “Save Settings.” Choose “PDF” as the desired output format for your scan.

4. Adjust Scan Settings (Optional): You may want to adjust settings such as resolution (DPI), color mode (color, grayscale, black and white), and document size depending on your scanning needs. Higher DPI results in better image quality but larger file sizes.

5. Initiate Scan: Click the “Scan” button within the utility. The Canon MP237 will begin scanning your document.

6. Save as PDF: Once the scan is complete, the software will typically prompt you to save the scanned document. Ensure the “Save as type” or “File format” is set to PDF and choose a location on your computer to save the file.

By following these steps, you can effectively utilize both the sharing and scanning functionalities of your Canon MP237 printer, optimizing your workflow for both printing and document digitization needs.