Cups uses different filters for different kinds of things. For example images like jpegs go through the imagetoraster filter. I wonder if your printer software has problems liaising with this particular filter. It would explain the specificity. Not that that helps you solve the problem!

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you all. Unexpectedly busy week.

I believe the print quality issues are all settled now, but I didn't get a chance to get any photo paper this week, so I can't be certain about that.

The problem seems to be with the driver. I initially downloaded a driver from Canon that specifically mentioned both this printer and my operating system (Ubuntu 18.04), but now Canon say they don't provide drivers (or manuals) for Linux.

The printer seems to work on all image and document formats except .jpg.

It's a pain having to do it, but it will print if I convert the .jpg to a .pdf, or if I embed the image in a document (with or without text).

It seems the problem could be Ubuntu. Version 18.04 is much less user-friendly than previous versions. I had to struggle, and do a lot of Googling, to get it set up the way I want it, and it seems they (probably) feel under pressure to make each new issue "different" to previous ones, resulting in change for the sake of change, regardless of whether the changes are justified.

I've always believed in the (ungrammatical) "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", but that doesn't seem to be the case where Ubuntu is concerned.

I am sorry to hear about your problem printing .jpg images with your Canon printer.

From my experience with using Ubuntu 18.04, I do not think though the problem is with the Ubuntu 18.04. I use a HP Deskjet 2510 printer and have printed .jpg images, with text, using LibreOffice Writer, since I uploaded the OS and all is well. The images come out clear, crisp, with no degradation in color.

Maybe you need to change from using a Canon printer to a HP printer?

In installing the HP 2510 printer I found the HP website helpful and user-friendly to Linux / Ubuntu OS's.

I'm inclined to agree about HP printers, greencedar. My previous printer was an HP all-in-one, and I never had a problem with it through several Ubuntu updates until it "died", very noisily, a few weeks ago. It seemed to be having a problem with the paper feed.

Canon seem to be saying they no longer provide drivers for Linux, so I think I'll stick with HP in the future. If Canon don't want me, I don't want them.

@ Jason-1:-

I had exactly that same problem with Epsons.....and I've been using 'em for years. Epson do provide drivers, manuals, etc, for Linux to use with their printers, but the stock response to enquiries has always been 'We don't DO Linux'. The resources are there, but you have to dig around on their website and find them for yourself.

A somewhat strange attitude for a company who were one of the original founding members of The Linux Foundation, n'est-ce pas? I'm not going into details, but a lot of it revolves around the company who originally created their Linux drivers for them, a Japanese firm called Avensis.....

For all that, I can thoroughly recommend Epsons. Perhaps a wee bit 'agricultural', technically, when compared with the likes of HP, but they're as tough as old boots, and just keep chugging away for years without issues.....and once you get your Linux drivers installed, they're as reliable as they come.

I've been using my elderly Stylus SX218 for close on 8 years now, and it's still 'gold'.

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From the look of things, it appears that the Linux driver Canon provides for the MG2550S only comes as source code.....meaning you have to compile it yourself. In fact, there's two.....one for the printer 'section' of your all-in-one, and another one for the scanner. Not unusual; Epson have always done theirs the same way. I suspect it's probably the same thing with the ever-present, ready-to-use Windows/Mac packages; it's simply all wrapped up in one nice, neat, click-to-install package, so the user never realises how many separate drivers are being installed.....

Did you have to compile your drivers before using them?


Mike.

No, I didn't have to compile the driver (I wouldn't know how). It arrived as a .tar.gz and I was prompted to open it with (not quite sure of the exact wording here) archive mounter or archive manager, and it seemed to work apart from the printer's refusal to print .jpg images and the lack of any ink-level information.

Everything else, including .jpg images embedded in other files or converted to .pdf but no direct printing of original .jpg images. It just sits there doing nothing, then after a while a light flashes on the printer and a message appears on the screen saying the print job has completed, when it hasn't even started.

Btw, please be aware that I'll be off-line for the next few days.