I print directly from Lightroom, so the Canon Professional Print & Layout app doesn’t apply to my workflow.
Coming from the HP Z3200, where paper types and ICC profiles are managed by the printer and synchronized to the connected computer via the HP Printer Utility, I was looking for a similar solution on my new Canon. After some digging, I figured out how to achieve nearly the same functionality.
With Canon, custom papers are added through the Media Configuration Tool, and each custom paper can have its own ICC profile. This information is stored on the printer itself. The advantage is that these custom media settings and profiles can then be synced to all connected computers, so the options appear in the print driver. This greatly streamlines paper and profile management, especially in multi-user environments. If I add a new paper or create a new ICC profile, I can simply sync this information across all machines—no need to manually copy ICC profiles.
The sync option is located here:
System Settings > Printers & Scanners > Printer Info > Options and Supplies > Utility > Open Printer Utility > Media Information > Update Media Information
(Frankly, this button belongs in the Media Configuration Tool, similar to the HP utility.)
Here’s the problem I ran into: the Media Information tab was missing from the Printer Utility. The printer was connected with the correct driver (not AirPrint), but it still didn’t work. I believe I solved it by installing the CUPS driver from Canon’s website in addition to the IJ driver that was installed via the Master Setup. After installing the CUPS driver, the Printer Utility asked for permission to access network devices (which I assume allows apps to view mDNS traffic), and then the Media Information tab appeared.
Now, all users can select the custom media type directly from the macOS print dialog, and when color management is set to ColorSync > Automatic, the correct ICC profile is applied automatically.
