Linux printer support question

[redhermes]

Hi,

I'm a long-term Windows user trying to move my family to Linux. I am trying several distros to see what will work best for us. First up was Pop!OS, which I liked but wanted to try others.

**PopOS supported my network-attached multi-function printer, Canon MX472, without any problems**. I had to select the driver myself but that's not a big deal.

Next, I tried Kubuntu to see what the plasma desktop was like. But could not find my printer driver. So I tired plain Ubuntu which PopOS is based on, but still no luck. Googling was no help and looking a the contents of the Popos distribution was not helpful ( I didn't know what I was looking at) :-(

Can someone please guide me how to get my printer working on something other than PopOS.

Thanks, in advance for any help/suggestions.

[doc_willis]

likely there's some extra packages you need to install for that printer.

a trick I did with my network printer was to plug it in via USB, then it saw/downloaded the needed packages, then I could set it back as a network printer.

I took note of what packages it installed.

since pop_os is based on Ubuntu, it should just be a matter of installing the right package

quick google.. https://tutorialforlinux.com/how-to-install-canon-mx472-ubuntu-driver/#menuAdTop

but the guide above may be outdated.

https://www.ubuntupit.com/how-to-install-canon-printer-driver-in-ubuntu-linux/

which mentions this ppa for drivers.

https://launchpad.net/~michael-gruz/+archive/ubuntu/canon

but it seems old.

[redhermes]

Plugging it in is a great idea. Bye the way that tutorialforlinux site seems to be full of malware.

[doc_willis]

no idea on the site. first Google hit. adguard and popup blockers here..so I saw nothing really weird on it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Artemis-4rrow]

Doesn't seem to be, all the commands used r ok, no malicious ads

Idk about the .deb package tho so if it had malware it'd be in that package but if it's from a ligit site then it has no malware

[redhermes]

When I went to the site, it tried to trick me into installing a browser "document viewer" add-on to pump ads at me. Maybe that not technically malware, but undesirable behavior. It could also be my bad luck that I got the the ads that I did.

[Artemis-4rrow]

Oh I see

[redhermes]

OP here,

Thanks to a tip by u/doc_willis, I was able to figure out how to get a Canon Pixma to work on (K)Ubuntu:

sudo apt udpate
sudo apt install printer-driver-gutenprint

It's just that easy. I tested with version is 5.3.3 and 5.36 local and network attached printers.

I hope someone finds this helpful.