Canon Printer Phone Setup, TS3122 Black Ink, Epson Resets, and the Calculators I Use Before Promising a Deadline

The short answer

If you want to know how to get my canon printer online from my phone, do this: put the phone and the Canon printer on the same 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, use the Canon PRINT app, and add the printer manually when WPS fails. For a Canon Pixma TS3122, the black ink you need is PG-245 or PG-245 XL. For how to reset epson printer, stop looking for one universal sequence—Epson changes it by model, and the waste-ink counter reset is not the same as a Wi-Fi reset. Before you buy or promise a delivery date, run a sales tax calculator and a how long will mail take from zip code to zip code calculator. The 2.4 GHz detail is the one that breaks most phone setups.

That is the whole game. The rest of this is how I learned it, where it goes wrong, and when you should ignore me.

Why you should trust this checklist

I have been handling office print support orders for 9 years. I have personally made and documented 11 significant mistakes, totaling roughly $6,400 in wasted budget. Now I maintain our team's checklist to prevent others from repeating my errors.

In my first year (2017), I made the classic mistake of assuming every small office router was 2.4 GHz. I set up a Canon printer over the phone, confirmed the Wi-Fi password, and hung up. It never came online. The router was 5 GHz only, and the printer was not. That error cost $890 in redo plus a one-week delay because the client had already told their team to stop using the old printer.

I knew I should check the router band, but thought, what are the odds? Well, the odds caught up with me. That was the one time it mattered.

How to get a Canon printer online from your phone, step by step

Here is the sequence I use now. It works for most Canon Pixma, TS, MG, and G-series printers, including the TS3122. It is not magic. It is mostly about removing variables.

1. Check the router band first. The TS3122 and many budget Canon printers are 2.4 GHz only. If your router is 5 GHz only, nothing else will work until you enable a 2.4 GHz band or use a 2.4 GHz guest network.
2. Put the phone on the correct Wi-Fi network. Not the guest network if the printer is on the main network. Not cellular. The phone and printer need to be on the same LAN when you finish.
3. Install the Canon PRINT app. For most models, that is Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY. Some regions now use Canon PRINT. The app is more reliable than the phone's system settings for the first connection.
4. Turn on the printer and press the Wi-Fi button. On a TS3122, press and hold the Wi-Fi button until the Wi-Fi lamp flashes. Then release.
5. Use WPS if your router has it. Press the WPS button on the router within two minutes. Wait for the Wi-Fi lamp to stop flashing and stay on. If it does not, go to manual setup.
6. Manual setup in the app. Open the Canon PRINT app, tap Add Printer, and choose the nearby printer. When it asks for your network, select your 2.4 GHz SSID and enter the password. Passwords are case-sensitive. I have watched a client type a zero instead of an O three times.
7. Print a test page. Do not skip this. A printer that shows as online in the app but cannot print a test page has a driver or queue issue, not a Wi-Fi issue.

Honestly, the app is not perfect. Sometimes it finds the printer but not the network. Sometimes it finds the network but not the printer. When that happens, power-cycle the router, the printer, and the phone, then start again. It is annoying, but it is faster than guessing.

Canon printer TS3122 black ink: what to buy

The Canon printer TS3122 black ink cartridge is PG-245. The higher-yield version is PG-245 XL. The color cartridge is CL-246, and the higher-yield color is CL-246 XL. If you only need black for documents, you can buy just the PG-245 or PG-245 XL. But if the color cartridge is empty, the printer may still refuse to print some jobs or may show warnings.

I assumed for a while that XL meant a different ink formula. It does not. It means more ink in the cartridge. The page yield is higher, but the price per page is usually pretty good. That said, do not hoard ink. Ink can dry out or the chip can expire if you leave it sitting for a year.

One mistake I made in September 2022: I ordered 24 PG-245 cartridges for a client because the price was good. Turns out they had switched to a different Canon model that used PG-243. The order was non-returnable. That was $468 wasted, plus a very awkward email.

How to reset Epson printer without wasting an afternoon

If you manage a mixed fleet, you will eventually need to know how to reset Epson printer models. The honest answer: there is no single button sequence that works across all Epson printers. A network reset on an EcoTank is not the same as a network reset on a WorkForce. A waste ink pad counter reset is a service function, not a user reset.

For many Epson models, a network reset is something like: turn the printer off, hold the Wi-Fi or network button while turning it back on, wait for the network light to flash, then release. But that is a ballpark, not a guarantee. Check the manual for your exact model. For waste ink counter resets, use an authorized service provider or the official service utility if you are trained. Do not download random reset tools from forums. I did that once on a test unit and bricked the network board. Not worth it.

I still kick myself for not documenting one Epson reset sequence in 2021. We had the same model in three offices, and I had to figure it out three times. That is a process failure, not a technician failure.

Use a sales tax calculator before you quote a total

A sales tax calculator is not just for consumers. If you are buying a Canon printer, ink, or accessories for a business, the total cost is rarely the sticker price. In the U.S., sales tax can vary by state, county, city, and even special district. A printer listed at $199.99 can become $216.49 with 8.25% tax. A $89.99 PG-245 XL twin pack can become $96.51 at 7.25%.

Here is the thing: online calculators give you a fast estimate, but they are not tax advice. If your business is tax-exempt, you need to file the exemption certificate with the vendor before checkout. If you are buying across state lines, nexus rules can change whether tax is collected. Use the calculator for budgeting, then confirm with finance.

I once approved a $3,200 order without adding tax. The invoice came in at $3,464. The budget had no room. We had to delay the second half of the rollout. That was a $264 mistake that caused a two-week delay. Not huge, but embarrassing.

Use a zip-to-zip mail calculator before you promise delivery

A how long will mail take from zip code to zip code calculator is useful for planning, but only if you read it correctly. It usually gives you business days in transit. It does not include order processing time, weekends, holidays, or the day the carrier picks up. If you order on Friday at 4 p.m., the clock may not start until Monday.

Take this with a grain of salt: third-party calculators often pull from USPS, UPS, or FedEx service maps. Those maps are estimates, not guarantees. I'm not 100% sure, but I think most calculators use business days and assume the package ships the same day. For business-critical shipments, pay for tracking and a guaranteed service, or use a courier. For routine office supplies, add one to two buffer days. If a client needs the ink by Friday, do not promise it based on a Tuesday shipping estimate.

Every spreadsheet analysis I have done says the cheapest shipping is fine. My gut says the client will call when it is one day late. Go with the buffer.

My pre-order checklist

Before I buy a Canon printer, ink, or any accessory for a client, I run this list. We have caught 47 potential errors using this checklist in the past 18 months.

• Confirm the exact printer model. TS3122 is not the same as TS3322 or TR4520.
• Confirm the ink number. PG-245 is not PG-243. CL-246 is not CL-244.
• Check the router band. 2.4 GHz is still the default for many budget printers.
• Run a sales tax calculator and confirm exemption status.
• Run a zip-to-zip mail estimate and add handling time.
• Write down the Epson reset sequence if the client has a mixed fleet.
• Print a test page before you leave the site.

When this advice does not apply

This is for small offices, usually one to ten printers. If you manage fifty or more devices, you should be using a managed print service, not a manual checklist. If you need guaranteed delivery, a mail calculator is not enough. Use a courier or a guaranteed service. If you are in a regulated industry, do not rely on a sales tax calculator for compliance; talk to your tax advisor.

Also, if your only problem is an Epson waste ink pad error, this article will not solve it. That is a service reset. And if your Canon printer is under warranty, check Canon support before you try any reset that voids coverage. Honest limitation: I can tell you what worked for me, but your router, firmware, and model matter.

Reference: Print Resolution Standards, industry consensus: 300 DPI at final size for commercial offset printing; 150 DPI acceptable for large format viewed from distance. US Standard Paper Sizes: Letter 8.5 x 11 inches, Legal 8.5 x 14 inches, Tabloid 11 x 17 inches. Rush printing premiums based on major online printer fee structures, 2025: next business day +50-100% over standard pricing, 2-3 business days +25-50%.

Bottom line: get the 2.4 GHz network right, buy the correct PG-245 black ink for the TS3122, do not treat Epson resets as universal, and use both calculators before you promise a total or a delivery date. That is not glamorous, but it prevents the kind of mistakes I keep documenting.