Canon (Pixma iP4200) in Linux

[Ponny]

Meow

It seems I am very stupid aobut searching. I search any topics about how works Canon printers in Linux. But I find nothing.

My experience about Canon printers in Linux is not good. I have two big problems with printing in Linux. With Canon Pixma iP4200.

In fact, only standard setting on plain paper works OK for me.

Aha, Linux. In my case Mint linux version 17, I thing the last LTS version. With Mate desktop. Mate is - I thing "uncle" of Gnome desktop.

But when I set to glosy photo paper und high quality, then I get very light print. Every colour become very light. Well, this could be setted via printer settings. But in Windows is not need to detail colour settings. All prints works fine without any change of colour settings.

If I set ON borderless printing, I get page offset about 5mm right and down. I thing, this cannot be corrected via settings.


But this is not all, folks. In Linux you can't set via driver settings like: Head cleaning, Deep head cleaninng, Nozzle check, Bottom plate cleaning and etc.

And in Linux you can't see ink status - ink levels. You just get message - ink levels info are not avaiable.


Well, all this problems can be solved by plan B. By buying Epson printer. Soomewhere I found table with printer status in Linux. For almost all Epson printers is this status great. (For Canon printers is bad.) But nowhere can find info, what about detailed settings via driver. Can you for example start head cleanninng in Linux for Epson printer? I don't know.

I wish you some nice romantic printig job.


Ponny

 

[Tintenklecks]

Meow

It seems I am very stupid aobut searching. I search any topics about how works Canon printers in Linux. But I find nothing.

Nah, I know that feeling. Don't give up before you even got started!

My experience about Canon printers in Linux is not good. I have two big problems with printing in Linux. With Canon Pixma iP4200.

In fact, only standard setting on plain paper works OK for me.

Aha, Linux. In my case Mint linux version 17, I thing the last LTS version. With Mate desktop. Mate is - I thing "uncle" of Gnome desktop.
[/quote]
Since it is based on Ubuntu, looking for help & documentation seems to be a good idea.

But when I set to glosy photo paper und high quality, then I get very light print. Every colour become very light. Well, this could be setted via printer settings. But in Windows is not need to detail colour settings. All prints works fine without any change of colour settings.

If I set ON borderless printing, I get page offset about 5mm right and down. I thing, this cannot be corrected via settings.

Well, off-calibration print-margins seem to be a plaque that transcends printer-brands and models, sadly. And you are right in assuming that Canon has never really loved their GNU/Linux customers.

What's more: binary drivers as given out by some vendors will work fine for some people for some time. But beware any advances in software-packages and functionality they connect into... ...that can and will brake your printing. Unless of course: those drivers get updated. Which more-often than not they do not. Especially on a consumer-model from ~2005.
That said, I am not familiar with any Canon printer, sadly. Had Epson, HP, Brother and Ricoh inkjets, but no Canon, yet.

There is however an alternative shareware driver (paid, but will run in testing-mode for a few weeks) that does get updated and that will support your printer. I am using it with my Epson 1500W - not because that printer misses support from it's manufacturer, but because of the handling of ICC-profiles which is implemented fully inside that third-party driver from beginning to end. Which takes some of the guesswork out of it. As far as I can see they support your model, as well:
http://www.zedonet.com/en_p_turboprint_driver.phtml?printer=Canon_PIXMA_iP4200
I would not know whether or not this is worth it for you, seeing as your printer has already seen a few years of service. On the other hand it seems this would be a viable solution.

Only problem I have with the software is it's system-daemon that won't start automatically. So if I want to enjoy ink-level monitoring and such, I need to run a "sudo tprintdaemon" after a fresh boot before I can see my ink-levels inside their monitoring-app.

But this is not all, folks. In Linux you can't set via driver settings like: Head cleaning, Deep head cleaninng, Nozzle check, Bottom plate cleaning and etc.

And in Linux you can't see ink status - ink levels. You just get message - ink levels info are not avaiable.


Well, all this problems can be solved by plan B. By buying Epson printer. Soomewhere I found table with printer status in Linux. For almost all Epson printers is this status great. (For Canon printers is bad.) But nowhere can find info, what about detailed settings via driver. Can you for example start head cleanninng in Linux for Epson printer? I don't know.

Actually the software-packages provided by Epson do allow for that. Even better is the support from HP (although I had bad mechanical luck with one of their units). But then again, even some Brother-models do offer average-to-good support nowadays. Best is to look up compatibility first when considering a new printer.
http://www.openprinting.org/printers
is a good read (but sometimes not quite up-to-date with all the consumer-models that get their refreshes every two years or so)

I wish you some nice romantic printig job.


Ponny

Likewise!

 

[PeterBJ]

It might be possible to get full driver functionality for older Canon printers in Linux. See this thread.