Is it possible to upgrade the CUPS-plus-Gutenprint printer driver?

[kenj70]

I suppose anything is possible... but the printer driver subsystem seems quite complicated to me and I would like to avoid messing it up. KDE Neon 5.13 currently installs CUPS+Gutenprint v5.2.11 and looking on Sourceforge I notice that the latest release (that I can see) is v5.2.14. The reason for asking is related to my topic about printing on disk media. There are support tickets which lead me to believe that printing on Canon printers to disk media has been fixed in a later release. Can anyone shed some light on this (what is for me) murky subject?

-=Ken=-

[kenj70]

Oooohkaaay! No guidance from the gurus, eh? Well, it usually takes me awhile to come up with a path to solution - but I do have a secondary PC running KDE Neon so I think I will mess with that so I can retain a working system. I plan to remove first Gutenprint, if that is separate, and then remove CUPS. I will then install the very latest CUPS and then the latest Gutenprint. Seems logical to me - but I am anticipating a fiasco.

CUPS alone supplies a version 3.90 printer driver which does not support printing on disk media at all. So disappointing. The Gutenprint driver does support printing on disk but it doesn't work! So, wish me luck.

-=Ken=-

[claydoh]

You can uninstall your existing gutenprint subsystem, ie any packages listed at the top of the page here:
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gutenprint
Then you'd have to learn how to compile the source code, as slightly touched on in the README in the package you download, but also seen on sourceforge. It does not touch on setting up a build environment. While not outrageously difficult, it is very frustrating and time consuming, involving a LOT of trial and error.

We would need to see good links saying that a newer gutenprint will actually solve this to determine if it is even worth the effort it would take

It would be far far far FAR easier to see if it works in Kubuntu/Ubuntu/etc 18.04, with 5.13, or some other distro with maybe an even newer version. You should be able to use a live disk to test it out.

[GreyGeek]

Ok, good luck!
Upgrades for both Kubuntu and Neon come through their respective repositories. You don’t have to do anything to update your CUPS software. It’s all automatic.

If you want something more recent than what the repositories offer then you’ll have to install them from where ever, which makes you the sole support and trouble fixer. Finding someone that also uses the same make and model printer you use, AND, has installed the more recent CUPS driver you plan to install has a probability of near zero. That’s why you didn’t get a response.

However, as a trail blazer who will, no doubt, get some arrows in his back during the process, please post back here your results so that others may benefit from your efforts. It’s called “paying forward” and most people on this forum have paid it

[kenj70]

Ooooooooh! (think Tim the Toolman)

Yeah - went to see what I could download and the only things I found were to be compiled.

OK, I have tendency to tilt at windmills. Dag nabit! There are still a number of things that still don't work right in Linux. And I think they should have been fixed years ago. Thanks for jumping in and rescuing me from myself.

Yes, a live session of 18.04 sounds like a better idea. Way to come through guys! Thanks again.

-=Ken=-

[kenj70]

Well, that saved a bunch of time! Tried Kubuntu 18.04 LTS live-DVD and ... it looks a lot like Neon!

Added my printer and CUPS+Gutenprint is upgraded to v5.2.13 vs 11 and ... works just the same (doesn't).

Thanks again,

-=Ken=-

[GreyGeek]

Well, that saved a bunch of time! Tried Kubuntu 18.04 LTS live-DVD and ... it looks a lot like Neon!

Added my printer and CUPS+Gutenprint is upgraded to v5.2.13 vs 11 and ... works just the same (doesn't).

Thanks again,

-=Ken=-

That's because Kubuntu 18.04 uses Plasma 5.12.6 and Neon uses Plasma 5.13.2. Both are nearly the same, visually.

Ok, now that you are stepping outside the repository, have you tried this driver?
http://launchpadlibrarian.net/356554...13-2_amd64.deb

[kenj70]

Ok, now that you are stepping outside the repository, have you tried this driver?
http://launchpadlibrarian.net/356554...13-2_amd64.deb

No. Where did you get it? I tried going to launchpadlibrarian.net and - it won't let me.
I tried searching launchpad.net for that file and couldn't find it.
Where do you come up with this stuff?

(BTW - I used to be a guru back in the day; people always came to me for the unusual solutions for network stuff. Looks like I'm out of my league today!)

So, can I just install that file - right over the top of what I have? And, since it didn't get me anything in the Kubuntu session is it even worthwhile?

(lots of questions!)

-=Ken=-

[claydoh]

You have to set uo a launchpad account, I think. But if you see my link above, you can find the package for Bionic, which is what Greygeek is pointing to. Since you have already tried Bionic, you already know it does not work.

It won't install anyway, not without a bunch of Bionic specific dependencies - don't want to break regular printing, or anything else.

[GreyGeek]

You can TRY to install it. It may give you dependency errors, or not, I don't know.

I found it using my StartPage fu, which is about the only skill I have left. I used to be a guru too, but when I see Rog131's posts, and many others here, I realize how much my old brain has forgotten or never learned. Basically, now, I'm just a button pusher when it comes to running KDE, which is why I like Neon so much. Lot's of buttons! However, I have no clue what many of them do, haven't used many of them and many I am not even aware of. I'm always learning about new buttons here on KFN, if only I could remember them. Recently a guy asked for help with his loss of the volume control icon in his system tray. My first thought was KMixer. I checked but it wasn't installed. So, what was setting in my system tray? The icon configuration didn't reveal anything. Browsing the Multimedia in System Settings didn't reveal any application except Phonon-VLC, but that isn't setting in the system tray. Rog131 asked if plasma-pa was installed. Plasma-pa? I looked it up in Muon. Yup. Plasma 5 Volume Controller. What happened to Pulsewhatever? Why is it named "plasma-pa"? Why not P5VolCtl? I don't know, and I'm too old to waste time reading source code to decipher esoteric naming. Anyway, /rant off, and here is where I found that driver:
https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/cosmic/...ver-gutenprint

[claydoh]

I had already tried, so did not suggest it.

[kenj70]

OK, no point in this exercise. GG, you are much too modest.

Thanks again guys.

-=Ken=-

[GreyGeek]

Because I use Btrfs I don't hesitate to try something, even if it may possible break my system. I just take a snapshot of @ and @home and install away. If my system breaks or I don't like the app, whatever, I merely rollback my system to the snapshots I just took. I've done that dozens of times in the last 5 years. I like it because it is a no-brainer, which is a requirement I happen to fulfill very well. Besides, I have all the steps to snapshot and rollback printed out on the bulletin board next to my computer chair, so I don't have to remember anything, just copy the steps. And, because of bash (dash?) history I usually just up arrow to the mount and snapshot commands and change the dates, so I don't even have to type much.