I am a plug-and-play man. What goes on 'under the bonnet' is generally a mystery - or in case something about which I can do next to nothing. My operating system is Mint Maya. I have a Canon MG310 printer using a standard system driver from the repository which unfortunately does not work very well. I can print just fine in monochrome but not in colour, which is also rendered in monochrome. Today I discovered another limitation in that I cannot scan documents for onward transmission. How do I fix this? Find another driver - in which case how do I install it - or buy another printer with a fully functional system driver?

Canon has the poorest Linux support of any hardware manufacturer. It offers no cooperation with the open-source community. The few Linux drivers they do offer frequently don't work. Repeated contact by the open-source community has yielded more support, but it's slow in coming.

I avoid Canon products at all costs. Your printer has no Canon Linux driver. About the only thing you can do is send Canon a message asking it to write a Linux driver for your printer. There is a Linux scanner driver for that printer: https://www.hamrick.com/vuescan/canon_mg3100.html

Thermoman,

You need to use a 32 bit Linux driver.

See this link for details:

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1488850

If the command line proves too painful, then I recommend that you obtain an HP printer and use this hplip walkthrough to install the necessary driver:
http://hplipopensource.com/hplip-web/install/install/

That leaves the other option open, namely buy another printer with a fully functional Linux driver in the repository. Considering the cost of printers, these days, and the time scales involved that could well turn out to be the quickest and cheapest option. In that case, a recommendation as to the most appropriate printer would be most welcome. I will then put the Canon back on my rarely-used Windows XP machine. (As a Linux convert, I no longer spend money on MS products.)

Nearly every HP printer works with hplip, even back to the 1980s. Just pick one out and google it. HP is very cooperative and helpful to open-source.

I have an HP 8620 which works fine with Linux Mint:
https://www.amazon.com/HP-OfficeJet-.../dp/B00J8NBVYE

Thermoman,

There are plenty of HP printers to choose from.

In the case of the HP 8620, I initially had problems getting the wifi connection set up correctly.

Post #10 on:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...-a-4175527021/

shows how this problem was solved and it may well act as a general guide to dealing with printer wifi connections.

I hope you find it useful.

By the way, the HP 8620 is built like a brick outhouse!

Thanks for your help, everyone. I have taken all the advice on board and have started off by challenging Canon. I'll see what they have to say.

It is a pity, really. The MG3150 is a good printer. It is just the driver that's unfit for purpose. Unfortunately a number of the major peripheral equipment manufacturers still need to learn that, despite possible appearances, the world is not controlled by Microsoft. I have to keep my old Windows XP computer operational for no other reason than to run my Seiko and Brother labellers.

As to HP, I may well eventually be forced to buy another of their printers but I have found their reliability to be poor. Over the years, several have failed on relatively light domestic duty. On the last occasion that occurred just two days after the expiry of the warranty. The HP technician I consulted informed my that the fault was terminal. The printer was irreparable but he was happy to direct me to the HP shop where I could buy a new one at full book price. No concession was offered, so I switched to Canon and I have to say that it has proved significantly more reliable. Maybe that was just luck.

It looks as if I may be forced back to HP but I am afraid that it won't be with much enthusiasm. Apart from anything else it means having to buy a new set of ink cartridges, as we all have to do every time we change printer, even for one of the same manufacture. It is a similar trick to that played by the razor manufacturers. The razor is the loss leader. It is the blades that make the money.

Hi Thermoman

Did you try using the Canon Linux drivers available for the MG3510 model?

For the printer: cnijfilter-mg3100series-3.60-1-deb.tar.gz

For the scanner: scangearmp-mg3100series-1.80-1-deb.tar.gz

The files need to be extracted first, but after that it's just a case of running the installer, or use your package manager to install the .deb files manually. Then reconfigure CUPS to use the proprietary driver instead.

The Canon scanner drivers are a bit strange in that they also include a scanner utility (simple-scan) with the package, which must be used instead of the normal Linux scanning utilities.

Thermoman,

I am afraid that is the standard modus operandi for all printer manufacturers.

I have found HP printers to be extremely reliable. My ancient HP LaserJet 6L is still going strong after umpteen years.

Have a look at Brother and Epson as well as HP.

BEFORE you lay down your cash, make sure that you google for Ubuntu printer driver problems for that particular machine.

Others can advise about the more (or less economical) replacement print cartridges.

As a user, and a somewhat idle one at that, a feature that I found particularly useful with Windows was that installing a plug-&-play device usually meant no more than sticking a CD into a slot and letting the computer do the rest. Linux looked a lot more daunting, so I probably just grabbed the first likely-looking driver out of the repository.

Canon has answered my service request with a response that could best be described as 'take it or leave it' but perhaps I should not be too critical until I have done what has just been suggested, namely try to find a driver appropriate to my particular printer. Being idle may not always pay, although Mint does make that rather easy. I bought my refurbished computer for a few pounds at the beginning of 2014, with Maya already installed, loaded up my applications, pressed the button and never looked back. The thing just runs, day-in, day-out with rarely a hiccup. The most adventurous thing I have done is to sort out a hard disk cloning routine to provide me with back-up. (I come from a generation that experienced occasional hard disk failures and the awful cold feeling that went with them.)

Before I throw my Canon MG3150 printer into the bin, perhaps I should bestir myself and attempt to install a more appropriate printer driver. I will give it a go in the hope of not finishing back on this forum too quickly.

Yes, give the vendor drivers a go. Let us know if you get stuck.

Hi Thermoman,

I second ferrari's suggestion at trying out the proprietary Canon drivers before giving up on the MG3150.

Also, if you do opt for the HP alternative, I've been using one of their OfficeJet Pro models (the K5400DN)for several years and have found it to be reliable and comparatively inexpensive in its operating costs. One of the reasons for the cost savings is that the print cartridges are distinct by colour (4 of them), and also distinct from the print heads (of which there are 2). Consequently, it is only necessary to change the cartridge for the colour that is depleted (as opposed to multi-colour cartridges that blend ink to produce black ...) and it is only necessary to change the print heads when they require it.

Voila - Cheers and best of luck !

I couldn't find a Linux driver for the MG3150 on the Canon site. In defense of HP, I bought a printer at a thrift store. It didn't work, so HP sent me another one. free!

The Canon page I linked to has Linux drivers for for the MG3150.