Canon makes some of the most popular home inkjet printers on the market, and Canon PRINT is the app Canon expects you to use with them. If you own a PIXMA all-in-one or a SELPHY photo printer, you have probably seen the QR code on the quick-start guide pointing you toward the App Store.

The question most iPhone users actually have is simpler: do you need this app at all? The honest answer is that Canon PRINT is useful but not mandatory for most people. If your Canon printer supports AirPrint — and most current PIXMA models do — your iPhone can print without ever opening Canon’s app. Where Canon PRINT earns its place on your home screen is Wi-Fi setup, scanning, photo tweaks before printing, and printer maintenance.

This guide covers what Canon PRINT actually does, how to set it up step by step, when you can skip it entirely, and which alternatives make sense if you print from an iPhone regularly. For the broader printing workflow, start with our print from iPhone guide. For a comparison of apps across all brands, see best printer apps.

What Is Canon PRINT?

Canon PRINT is Canon’s official mobile companion app for consumer and small-business printers. On iPhone, it appears in the App Store as Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY (the name varies slightly by region). Canon also offers Canon PRINT Business for office imageRUNNER devices — a separate app with different features. This guide focuses on the consumer version most home users need.

The app serves three main purposes. First, it walks you through connecting a new Canon printer to your Wi-Fi network — often the easiest way to complete initial setup without navigating the printer’s small LCD menu. Second, it provides mobile printing and scanning for Canon hardware, including photo printing with basic editing tools. Third, it handles maintenance tasks like checking ink levels, running nozzle checks, and ordering replacement cartridges through Canon’s store.

Canon PRINT is not affiliated with third-party apps like Smart Printer. Smart Printer is an independent iOS app that prints through AirPrint to Canon and other brand printers. Canon PRINT is Canon’s own software, designed specifically for Canon devices.

Which Printers Work With Canon PRINT?

Canon PRINT supports Canon’s consumer inkjet and compact photo printer lines. The main families include:

PIXMA inkjet all-in-ones — the TS, TR, MG, and G (MegaTank) series that most households buy. These handle documents, photos, scanning, and copying. Most current PIXMA models with Wi-Fi also support AirPrint, which means your iPhone can print to them through the built-in Share menu even without Canon PRINT installed.

SELPHY compact photo printers — the CP and Square series designed for portable photo printing. SELPHY printers often rely more heavily on the app for photo selection, cropping, and layout because they are photo-first devices rather than general document printers.

MAXIFY office inkjets — Canon’s small-business line (GX, MB, IB series). These support Canon PRINT for setup and mobile printing, though office users may prefer Canon PRINT Business for advanced features.

What Canon PRINT does not support: non-Canon printers, most Canon laser printers (imageCLASS lasers typically use Canon PRINT Business or AirPrint alone), and very old PIXMA models that predate Canon’s current app framework. If you are unsure whether your model supports AirPrint specifically, check our AirPrint compatible printers guide or look up your exact model number on Canon’s website.

How to Set Up Canon PRINT on iPhone

Setup takes about five to ten minutes if your printer is new and still needs Wi-Fi configuration. If your printer is already on the network, the app finds it much faster.

Step 1: Download the app. Search for “Canon PRINT” in the App Store and install Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY. The app is free and requires iOS 15 or later for current versions.

Step 2: Connect your iPhone to Wi-Fi. Your phone must be on the same network you want the printer to join. If you are setting up a new printer, connect to your home router’s main network — not a guest network.

Step 3: Power on the printer. Plug in the printer, install ink cartridges if you have not already, and load paper. Wait until the printer finishes its initialization sequence and is not displaying an error.

Step 4: Add the printer in the app. Open Canon PRINT and tap Add Printer (or the plus icon). The app searches for nearby Canon printers. If your printer appears, select it and follow the prompts to connect it to Wi-Fi. Canon’s setup often uses a temporary direct connection between your phone and the printer, then transfers your Wi-Fi credentials — similar to how many smart home devices pair.

Step 5: Confirm the connection. Once setup completes, the printer should appear on the app’s home screen. Try printing a test page from the app, or open Safari on your iPhone, tap Share, then Print, and verify the Canon printer appears in the list.

If the app cannot find your printer during setup, ensure Bluetooth is enabled on your iPhone (Canon uses it during the initial pairing phase), disable any active VPN, and confirm location permissions are granted — iOS requires location access for Bluetooth device discovery on newer versions.

What Canon PRINT Does Well

Canon PRINT is genuinely helpful in specific situations, even if you rarely open it after initial setup.

Wi-Fi setup for new printers. The app’s guided setup is often faster than entering a Wi-Fi password on a two-line printer display with arrow buttons. If you just unboxed a PIXMA printer, Canon PRINT is the path of least resistance.

Photo printing with editing. For SELPHY and PIXMA photo printing, Canon PRINT lets you select images from your camera roll, apply filters, adjust brightness and contrast, crop to standard photo sizes, and add borders or date stamps before printing. The editing tools are basic compared to dedicated photo apps, but they are convenient when you want to print directly without switching apps.

Scanning to your phone. If you own a PIXMA all-in-one with a flatbed scanner, Canon PRINT can scan documents and photos to your iPhone as PDF or JPEG files. Scan quality depends on the scanner hardware, not the app, but the workflow is straightforward — place the document, tap Scan in the app, and save or share the result.

Ink and maintenance monitoring. The app displays estimated ink levels for each cartridge, which helps you order replacements before running dry mid-print-job. You can also trigger nozzle check patterns and head cleaning cycles from the app — useful when print quality degrades.

Remote status checks. When your printer is connected to Wi-Fi, Canon PRINT shows whether it is online, paper status, and any error conditions. This is more useful for office setups than home use, but it saves a trip to the printer room when something is wrong.

Where Canon PRINT Falls Short

Being honest about limitations helps you decide whether to rely on it daily or treat it as a setup tool you open once.

Canon-only. The app does nothing for HP, Epson, Brother, or any other brand. If your household has printers from multiple manufacturers, you need separate apps for each — or a brand-agnostic alternative.

AirPrint makes daily printing redundant. Once your Canon printer is on Wi-Fi and supports AirPrint, the iOS Share → Print dialog handles documents, emails, web pages, and photos without Canon PRINT. Most people print from Mail, Files, or Safari, not from a printer manufacturer’s app. Our connect printer to iPhone guide explains how that connection works without any app installed.

No document library. Canon PRINT is not a document manager. It does not organize your files, maintain a print queue across sessions, or import documents from multiple sources into one workspace. Each print job starts fresh.

Interface clutter. Canon has added features over the years — cloud services, creative templates, ink ordering promotions — and the home screen can feel busy compared to simply tapping Print in iOS. Power users who print daily may prefer a cleaner workflow.

Scanning quality is hardware-limited. The app captures what the flatbed scanner produces. For high-quality document scanning with edge detection and OCR, dedicated scanning apps often produce better results. Canon PRINT scanning is fine for quick copies of receipts or signed forms.

Canon PRINT vs. AirPrint: Which Should You Use?

This is the decision most Canon owners face, and the answer depends on what you are trying to do.

Use AirPrint (built into iOS) when:

  • You are printing a document, email, web page, or photo from another app
  • Your Canon printer already supports AirPrint (most current PIXMA models do)
  • You want the fastest path from content to paper
  • You do not need scanning or ink monitoring at that moment

Use Canon PRINT when:

  • You are setting up a new printer on Wi-Fi for the first time
  • You want to edit photos before sending them to a SELPHY or PIXMA photo printer
  • You need to scan a document to your phone
  • You want to check ink levels or run a nozzle cleaning cycle
  • Your specific Canon model requires the app for a feature AirPrint does not expose (some borderless photo sizes, for example)

For a deeper explanation of how AirPrint works and why it makes manufacturer apps optional for basic printing, read our what is AirPrint guide.

Alternatives to Canon PRINT

If Canon PRINT does not fit your workflow, several alternatives cover different needs.

Built-in iOS print dialog (free). The Share → Print option in any app is the default choice for AirPrint-compatible Canon printers. No download, no account, no ads. If you print occasionally and your printer supports AirPrint, this is all you need.

Smart Printer (free with premium options). Smart Printer is a third-party iOS app — not made by or affiliated with Canon — that wraps AirPrint printing in a more complete workflow. You import documents from Files, email, or cloud storage, scan physical papers with your iPhone camera, organize files in one place, and print to any AirPrint-compatible printer on your network, including Canon PIXMA models. It uses the same AirPrint protocol as the built-in Share menu, so it does not bypass compatibility limits. The value is in document management and scanning, not in connecting to printers that lack AirPrint.

Printer Pro by Readdle (paid). A long-standing iOS app that offers finer print layout control — page range, paper size, scaling — than the built-in dialog. Useful for power users who print complex documents. Still requires AirPrint-compatible printers for wireless printing.

Adobe Scan (free). If your primary need is scanning rather than printing, Adobe Scan produces excellent document scans with automatic edge detection and OCR. It does not print directly, but it pairs well with AirPrint for a scan-then-print workflow.

For a side-by-side comparison of all these options, our best printer apps guide ranks nine apps honestly and explains when each one is worth installing.

Troubleshooting Canon PRINT

When Canon PRINT misbehaves, these fixes resolve most problems.

Printer not found during setup. Confirm both devices are on the same Wi-Fi band (2.4 GHz vs. 5 GHz can matter during initial pairing on some Canon models). Enable Bluetooth and location services on your iPhone. Restart the printer and the app. If setup still fails, connect the printer to Wi-Fi through its control panel manually, then add it in the app by IP address.

Printer shows offline in the app but works via AirPrint. The app and AirPrint use different discovery paths. If AirPrint printing works from Safari, the printer connection is fine — force-quit Canon PRINT and reopen it, or remove and re-add the printer in the app.

Print quality is poor. Run a nozzle check and head cleaning from the app’s maintenance section. Replace low ink cartridges. For photo printing, confirm you selected the correct paper type in print settings — printing photo paper with plain-paper settings produces washed-out results.

Scanning fails or produces blank pages. Clean the scanner glass. Ensure the document is placed face-down correctly on the flatbed. Some PIXMA models require you to select scan type (document vs. photo) before starting.

App crashes or will not update. Delete and reinstall Canon PRINT. Check that your iPhone runs a supported iOS version. Very old PIXMA models may not work with the latest app version — check Canon’s compatibility list for your model.

If AirPrint itself is not working — the printer does not appear in the iOS print dialog — the problem is network-level, not app-level. See our AirPrint not working guide for systematic fixes.

The Bottom Line

Canon PRINT is a capable companion app for Canon printer owners, especially during initial Wi-Fi setup and for photo printing on SELPHY devices. It is free, maintained by Canon, and covers scanning and maintenance tasks that AirPrint does not touch.

For everyday document printing from an iPhone, though, you probably do not need it. AirPrint built into iOS handles the job once your Canon printer is on the network. Install Canon PRINT for setup day, keep it for ink checks and scanning, and print from whatever app holds your document the rest of the time.

If you want one app that organizes documents, scans papers, and prints to your Canon (or any AirPrint printer) without switching between Mail, Files, and a manufacturer app, Smart Printer is a reasonable third-party option — just understand that it uses AirPrint under the hood, same as iOS itself, and cannot print to a Canon that lacks AirPrint support any more than the built-in dialog can.

Before buying a Canon printer specifically for iPhone use, verify AirPrint support for the exact model number. Our AirPrint compatible printers list explains what to look for, and Canon’s own spec pages confirm whether a specific PIXMA or SELPHY model includes AirPrint in its firmware.