How to Connect a Canon Printer (Like the TS3522) to a Computer

AvatarByEric Dawson Computers & Software

To connect a Canon TS3522 printer to a computer, pick one of two routes: run a USB cable between the two devices, or put both on the same 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. Either route ends the same way, with Canon’s setup software installed on the computer from the disc in the box or from ij.start.canon. Canon’s own manual puts that download first and the physical connection second, and the on-screen prompts carry you the rest of the way. One warning before you start: no USB cable ships with the TS3522, so a wired setup means buying a Hi-Speed USB printer cable separately.

What You Need Before You Connect the Printer

Four things cover it: a printer that is unpacked, powered on and ready to print, a computer with internet access, one working connection route, and Canon’s setup software. Canon’s setup pages assume the printer itself is already prepared, with the protective tape off, ink installed and paper loaded, before you turn to the computer.

For a USB Connection

Buying a cable is step zero, since none comes in the box. Canon’s specification page for the TS3500 series, the manual family the TS3522 belongs to, lists the interface as Hi-Speed USB and states that a computer complying with the Hi-Speed USB standard is required. Nearly every desktop and laptop still in service clears that bar, so the cable, not the port, is the piece people are usually missing. A standard USB printer cable sold for any inkjet will do the job. One line on that same specification page is worth remembering: USB and the network can be used at the same time, so a cable today does not rule out Wi-Fi later.

For a Wi-Fi Connection

Your router has to offer a 2.4 GHz band, because the TS3522 uses 802.11b/g/n wireless networking on 2.4 GHz. Modern dual-band routers broadcast both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, so the band exists, but the computer has to end up on the same network as the printer for the two to see each other. Guest networks count as separate networks. Canon’s specification page lists the wireless standard as IEEE802.11n, IEEE802.11g and IEEE802.11b on the 2.4 GHz band, with WEP (64 and 128 bit), WPA-PSK (TKIP/AES) and WPA2-PSK (TKIP/AES) as the supported security types, which covers the way home routers normally come configured. Keep the Wi-Fi name and password within reach, because at least one of the setup methods asks you to type the password by hand.

Since the TS3522 does not include the Hi-Speed USB cable required for a wired connection, the 16-foot Amazon Basics USB 2.0 Printer Cable gives you the USB-A-to-USB-B connection the installer expects, with enough length to place the printer where it is convenient rather than immediately beside the computer.

How to Connect a Canon TS3522 Printer to a Computer by USB Cable

Install Canon’s software first, then plug the cable in when the installer asks for it. Doing it in that order stops Windows from quietly claiming the printer with a generic driver before Canon’s package is in place.

  1. Get the software. Load the installation disc that came with the printer, or open ij.start.canon on the computer and let the page identify the TS3522. Canon’s support section also lists the model directly if you prefer to search for it.
  2. Run the setup file. Canon’s Windows guide and its macOS guide both start the same way, by downloading the setup software and running it to begin. Approve the security prompt your operating system shows for a downloaded installer.
  3. Choose the connection type. When the installer asks how the printer will connect, pick the USB option rather than the wireless one.
  4. Plug in the cable when prompted. Connect one end to the printer’s USB port and the other to a free USB port on the computer. Use a port on the machine itself rather than a hub or a monitor for the first setup.
  5. Let the driver finish. Setup registers the printer with the operating system and installs the printing and scanning software. Leave the printer powered on until the last screen closes.
  6. Print a test page. Nothing confirms a connection like paper coming out of the machine.

Windows can detect a USB printer on its own and install a basic driver, and simple printing may work that way. The full Canon package remains the better choice, because it brings the IJ Network Device Setup Utility and the rest of the printer software along with the driver. Relying on auto-detection now often means installing the full package later anyway, once you want to move the printer onto Wi-Fi.

How to Connect the TS3522 to Wi-Fi on a Windows PC

Two methods get a Windows machine talking to the printer wirelessly: the Wireless Connect button on the printer, or the IJ Network Device Setup Utility that arrives with the full driver package. Both end with the printer on your home network and Windows able to see it.

Using the Wireless Connect Button

Press and hold the Wireless Connect button on the printer, the one marked with the Wi-Fi link icon, until the Wi-Fi icon on the panel starts flashing. That flashing icon means the printer is waiting to be handed network details, and Canon lists the button’s job simply as starting the Wi-Fi setup. With the printer in that state, run Canon’s setup software on the computer and choose the wireless connection option, then follow the prompts. Allow five to 10 minutes for the handshake to complete; the process is not instant and interrupting it midway means starting over.

Watch the panel while the setup runs. Canon’s operation panel guide for the TS3500 series says the ON lamp lights after flashing when the power is turned on, and that the Alarm lamp lights or flashes when an error occurs, so an alarm coming to life partway through means the attempt failed rather than the printer taking its time. Once the Wi-Fi icon stops flashing and no alarm is showing, the setup step has ended and the computer should be able to find the printer.

Using the IJ Network Device Setup Utility

Install the full driver package first, because the utility ships inside it and does not arrive with a driver that Windows picks up by itself. Once installed, open the Windows Start menu, find the Canon Utilities folder, and launch IJ Network Device Setup Utility. Let the utility search for printers on its own; the TS3522 appears in the list once it finds it. Select the printer, choose your home Wi-Fi network from the list of detected networks, and type the network password when it asks. Utility screens close out with a confirmation that the printer is connected.

Which Windows Method to Try First

Start with the Wireless Connect button if the printer is fresh out of the box and you are running Canon’s installer anyway, since the button method is built into that flow. Reach for the IJ Network Device Setup Utility when the printer is already installed and only the network changed, for example after a new router or a password change. Rerunning the whole installer to fix a network setting is more work than opening the utility.

How to Connect the TS3522 to a Mac Computer

Download Canon’s macOS setup software, run it, and follow the instructions it shows. Canon’s macOS connection page is deliberately short, because the installer itself asks the questions about USB or wireless and about which network to join.

Mac owners have the same two physical routes as Windows owners. A USB cable makes the connection immediate once the driver lands, and the wireless route puts the printer on the 2.4 GHz band of your router. What differs is the tooling around it: the IJ Network Device Setup Utility is a Windows program, so on a Mac the installer’s own wireless flow, the Wireless Connect button on the printer, or the mobile app route does the job instead.

Canon also offers a QR code option during setup, where you scan a code with a phone and carry on there. That path suits a Mac user whose printer sits across the room, since the phone does the network entry and the Mac only needs the driver afterward. Once the printer is on the network, add it in System Settings, then Printers and Scanners, then Add Printer, Scanner or Fax. Older macOS versions keep the same list under System Preferences, then Printers and Scanners, with a plus button to add a device.

Which Wireless Setup Method Works Best

The Wireless Connect button is the fastest for a first-time setup, the Canon PRINT app is the best fit when a phone is the main device, and the IJ Network Device Setup Utility is the right tool for fixing a Windows machine that lost the printer. Here is how the two connection types compare before you pick one.

Connection type Cable included Setup time Requirements
USB No Immediate after driver installation Hi-Speed USB cable bought separately, a computer port that complies with Hi-Speed USB
Wireless Not applicable Five to 10 minutes for the wireless step 802.11b/g/n router, computer on the same network, Wireless Connect button

Once wireless is the plan, the three documented methods split by which device you have in your hand.

Method Device used Steps Prerequisites
Wireless Connect button Printer Press and hold until the icon flashes, then five to 10 minutes Drivers installed on the computer
Canon PRINT app Mobile device or computer Launch the app, add printer, select network, enter password App downloaded, Wi-Fi enabled
IJ Network Device Setup Utility Windows computer Launch utility, search for printer, select network, enter password Full driver package installed

Setup time is the honest differentiator. Wired printing starts the moment the driver finishes, while the wireless handshake takes its own five to 10 minutes on top of the install. People who print from one desk and never move the machine lose little by staying on USB. Anyone printing from a laptop, a second computer or a phone gets that time back quickly.

I would use the IJ Network Device Setup Utility on a Windows PC rather than start with the Wireless Connect button. The button is useful when you need to put the printer into setup mode, but the utility gives me a clearer path because it searches for the printer, shows the home network, and asks for the password. I also prefer installing the full Canon package once instead of depending on Windows to add only a basic printer driver.

How to Connect the TS3522 Without Canon Software

Canon publishes a setup path that skips its software entirely: get the printer onto your network first, then add it through the operating system’s own printer settings. That route exists for people who cannot run the installer, and the operating system supplies a basic driver in its place.

On Windows 11, the menu path is Settings, then Bluetooth and devices, then Printers and scanners, then Add device. Wait for the scan to finish and select the TS3522 when it appears. Windows 10 keeps the same list under Settings, then Devices, then Printers and scanners, then Add a printer or scanner. Should the printer not show up, both versions offer a manual option below the scan results that lets you add it by name or address.

Mac users go to System Settings, then Printers and Scanners, then Add Printer, Scanner or Fax, and pick the TS3522 from the list of network printers. Adding a printer this way gets pages printing, which is the point of the exercise.

What you give up is worth knowing. Canon’s utilities, including the network setup tool, only arrive with the full package, so a system-supplied driver leaves you without them. Scanning and maintenance features may be limited or missing too. For a temporary fix, or for a machine locked down by an employer, the software-free route is genuinely useful; as a permanent arrangement it is a compromise.

What to Do if the Printer Will Not Connect

Nine failures in 10 come down to three causes: the printer and computer are on different networks, the wireless setup was interrupted before it finished, or Windows is using its own driver instead of Canon’s. Work through the checks below in order.

The Computer Cannot Find the Printer on the Network

Check the panel first. An Alarm lamp that lights or flashes points at an error on the printer itself, which is exactly what Canon’s operation panel guide says that lamp is for. Where the panel looks calm and the Wi-Fi icon has settled, the problem sits on the computer side, so confirm that the machine is joined to the same network name rather than a guest network or a neighbor’s open signal.

Band mismatch is the classic trap. The TS3522 supports 802.11b/g/n on 2.4 GHz, so a router that advertises 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz under one merged name can leave your laptop on 5 GHz while the printer sits on 2.4 GHz. Most routers still bridge the two bands internally, but where they do not, the fix is to join the computer to the 2.4 GHz band during setup, or to split the bands into two names in the router settings. Passwords are case sensitive, and so are network names, which catches people retyping a long router password from memory.

The Wireless Setup Keeps Timing Out

Give the process its full five to 10 minutes before deciding it failed. Moving the printer closer to the router for the initial setup helps in houses where the machine lives at the far end of a floor. If the Wireless Connect button route keeps stalling, switch methods rather than repeating it: install the full driver package and run the IJ Network Device Setup Utility, or set the printer up from the Canon PRINT app on a phone that is already on the right network.

The USB Connection Is Not Recognized

Unplug the cable, restart the computer, and run Canon’s installer again from the beginning, letting it tell you when to reconnect. Plugging the cable in too early is the most common cause, because the operating system grabs the device and installs its own driver first. Swap to a different USB port on the computer, skip hubs and monitor ports for the first connection, and try a second cable if one is available, since a cable that charges a phone is not always wired for data.

Printing Works but Scanning or Utilities Are Missing

Install the full driver package from Canon, which is the difference between a working print queue and a fully working printer. A driver that Windows found by itself covers printing and little else. Download the package for the TS3522 from Canon’s support pages, run it, and let it replace what is already installed.

How to Test the Connection with a Test Page

Print a test page as the final step of any setup, wired or wireless. A page that comes out proves the whole chain works: driver, connection, network and printer.

From Windows, open Settings, then Printers and scanners, select the Canon TS3522, choose Printer properties, and use Print test page on the General tab. Mac owners can open any document and print it, or use the printer’s own status page from the queue window. Should the page fail to appear, note what the computer says. A job stuck in the queue with the printer marked offline points at the network or cable; an error before the job is even created points at the driver.

Keep the printer powered on during the test and check that paper is loaded in the rear tray. Blank pages from a brand new printer usually mean the ink cartridges are not seated or the protective tape is still in place.

How to Print from a Phone or Tablet

Install the Canon PRINT app from the App Store or Google Play, put the phone on the same Wi-Fi network as the printer, and add the printer inside the app. The app also doubles as a setup tool for the printer itself, which is why it appears in Canon’s own instructions.

Inside the app, choose Add Printer and let it detect what is nearby. Select the printer, pick your Wi-Fi network from the list it offers, type the network password, and confirm with OK or Connect. Canon’s QR code option shortcuts the same process: scan the code shown during setup and the app picks up from there.

Mobile setup solves a problem that trips up laptop-only households. Where a computer cannot reach the printer because of a driver or a band mismatch, a phone often can, and once the printer is on the network the computer only needs to find it rather than configure it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Canon TS3522 Come with a USB Cable?

No. Canon does not include a USB cable with the TS3522, so a wired connection means buying one separately. Any standard Hi-Speed USB printer cable works, and Canon’s specification page calls for a computer that complies with the Hi-Speed USB standard.

Will the TS3522 Connect to a Dual-Band Wi-Fi Router?

Only on the 2.4 GHz half of it. Wireless networking on the TS3522 is 802.11b/g/n on the 2.4 GHz frequency, so the printer needs a 2.4 GHz band available. Dual-band routers broadcast both, but a network set to 5 GHz only will not accept the printer.

Do I Need the Installation CD That Came with the Printer?

No. Everything on the disc is available as a download from Canon, either through ij.start.canon or the model search in Canon’s support section. Computers without an optical drive, which is most of them now, use the download route.

How Long Does the Wireless Setup Take?

Plan on five to 10 minutes for the wireless connection step after the Wireless Connect button is pressed, plus the time to download and install the software. Interrupting the handshake means starting it again, so it pays to leave both machines alone until the lamps settle.

Can the Printer Connect Without a Router?

Wireless Direct exists on this printer. Canon’s operation panel guide for the TS3500 series describes a Wireless Select button that switches between Wi-Fi and Wireless Direct, or enables and disables them, with each press changing the setting. The Canon pages consulted for this article do not walk through the Wireless Direct steps, so follow the on-screen manual for the model before leaning on it for everyday printing.

Order matters more than method with this printer. Install Canon’s software before touching a cable, put the computer and the printer on the same 2.4 GHz network before expecting either to find the other, and watch the panel lamps rather than guessing. Get those three right and the TS3522 connects on the first attempt, whichever route you chose.

What This Page Does Not Publish

  • I do not troubleshoot specific connection errors here; use Canon’s support tools if setup fails.
  • I have not covered Wireless Direct setup, so this page focuses on USB and home Wi-Fi connections.
  • This page does not give personalised advice for your computer, router or network.

References

Author Profile

Eric Dawson
Eric Dawson
I'm Eric Dawson, the writer behind The Money Watch. I live in the Columbus, Ohio area and I write about the ordinary questions that turn out to be complicated: computers, shopping, food, travel, parking, small businesses, fees, rules and products. Every article starts with the official page, the maker or the agency, then the sources that check it, and I say plainly where they disagree and what I would do. More about how I work is on the About page.