[SOLVED] Gutenprint Canon iP4600 driver will not print CMYK

Doug Hutcheson · 03-23-2017, 09:47 PM

I have googled this and found nothing similar.

Fedora 25 fully updated / Gnome 3 / Core i7 / 8Gb

I was given an old iP4600 and would like to get it working properly.

In CUPS I have set the default printing to CMYK. I go to print a colour document through the normal print dialog and ensure the colour selection is CMYK, but the output is grey and white.

If I print the current browser page using Chrome's options and select Color, it prints CMYK.

Is there something fishy about the standard printer dialog, or am I doing something wrong?

"8-[

Any help would be gratefully accepted.

ferrari · 03-24-2017, 09:45 PM

I guess you are using the gutenprint CUPS driver available for this model. If the colour model options aren’t working as expected, I think a bug report will be needed to help resolve this.

FWIW, an old but interesting discussion about color space here. The issue is unrelated to yours but some good technical information regarding CUPS and the gutenprint drivers.
https://sourceforge.net/p/gimp-print...sage/15590170/

ferrari · 03-24-2017, 09:49 PM

Alternatively, you might try using the Canon Linux drivers available for this model.

http://search-th.canon-asia.com/cano...ldown&q=ip4600

Doug Hutcheson · 03-25-2017, 12:20 AM

Ferrari, thanks for both your responses. I wasn't sure if I was hitting a driver bug, but I will now file a bug report.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

Alternatively, you might try using the Canon Linux drivers ...

Thanks for the info. The Canon driver needed me to download cnijfilter-common-3.00-1.i386.rpm as well.

The problem has arisen when trying to install these rpms through dnf, because I am getting the error "Error: nothing provides libtiff.so.3 needed by cnijfilter-ip4600series-3.00-1.i386".

libtiff is no longer available, as far as I can discover through Uncle Google.

Following advice from here, I downloaded the libtiff source code from here (I chose version 3.9.7) and compiled it as per the advice. There is a minor bug in the configure script when dealing with path names containing spaces, but nothing that can't be fixed with grep and vi.

Of course, putting this into /lib64 was not going to help a 32-BIT Canon driver, so I went back to the tiff-3.9.6 build directory, executed 'make clean' then started again with './configure --build i686-pc-linux-gnu ; make'. I copied the libtiff* libraries into /lib and crossed my fingers.

Unfortunately when I again tried to install the Canon rpm's, I still received the above error.

Any suggestions as to how to proceed would be once again gratefully received.

Cheers,
Doug
(Ex Takapuna boy)

-------------------------

Incidentally, these are the relevant files in /usr:

Code:

[root@womble Canon Pixma IP 4600]# ls -l /lib/libtiff*
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root 2227148 Mar 25 14:49 /lib/libtiff.a
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root     936 Mar 25 14:49 /lib/libtiff.la
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root     937 Mar 25 14:49 /lib/libtiff.lai
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      16 Jan 24 23:59 /lib/libtiff.so -> libtiff.so.5.2.5
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 1300752 Mar 25 14:49 /lib/libtiff.so.3
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 1300752 Mar 25 14:49 /lib/libtiff.so.3.9.6
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      16 Jan 24 23:59 /lib/libtiff.so.5 -> libtiff.so.5.2.5
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root  479236 Jan 24 23:59 /lib/libtiff.so.5.2.5
-rw-r--r--. 1 root root   82470 Mar 25 14:49 /lib/libtiffxx.a
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      18 Jan 24 23:59 /lib/libtiffxx.so -> libtiffxx.so.5.2.5
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root   52160 Mar 25 14:49 /lib/libtiffxx.so.3
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root   52160 Mar 25 14:49 /lib/libtiffxx.so.3.9.6
lrwxrwxrwx. 1 root root      18 Jan 24 23:59 /lib/libtiffxx.so.5 -> libtiffxx.so.5.2.5
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root   10528 Jan 24 23:59 /lib/libtiffxx.so.5.2.5
[root@womble Canon Pixma IP 4600]#

ferrari · 03-25-2017, 01:19 AM

Regarding the libtiff.so.3 dependency, I know that is an issue with the Canon driver package, but I think this dependency is safe to ignore. Install both (common package first) with

Code:

rpm -ivh --nodeps <package name>

Takapuna eh? I'm just up the coast a bit (Hibiscus Coast)

ferrari · 03-25-2017, 01:24 AM

BTW, is there any particular reason why you're trying to explicitly set the colour space to CMYK, rather than leaving it at default? CUPS generally processes a given document and converts automatically as required.

Doug Hutcheson · 03-25-2017, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

I'm just up the coast a bit (Hibiscus Coast)

In a previous life, I had relatives who lived in a unit at Orewa. I guess the village it was then is no longer recognisable. Sigh!

Anyway, between us we have 'fixed' the printer so it no longer prints anything at all, using either the Canon driver, the CUPS / Gutenprint driver, or the Foomatic / Gutenprint driver. At least it will save me ink this way <chuckle>.

Interestingly, if I use the Canon driver and tell it to get its default settings from the printer, I see the ready light flash, so some kind of communication is happening.

My other printer (Brother laser) still works, so something I have done has installed an un-designed feature into the Canon software chain - i.e. a bug. Do you have any idea as to what might have broken? "8-[

-----------------------

I uninstalled the Canon driver and CUPS / Gutenprint started to work, which reminded me the test pages have always printed CMY and K, but printing through the dialog always gives me CMY, or K, but not the combination. I think I have been barking up the wrong horse - or something ...

Doug Hutcheson · 03-25-2017, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

BTW, is there any particular reason why you're trying to explicitly set the colour space to CMYK

Not really. I'm just trying to set it into a mode where it will print three colours and black, instead of trying to emulate black by wasting three colours at once. Before I broke the driver, I could have either B&W, or three colours without black. This only happened when using the standard system printer dialog: when I used Chrome's own printer control, it was happy to give me CMY and K.

I had run out of ideas a while ago - do any spring to your mind?

ferrari · 03-25-2017, 02:19 AM

Not sure how you managed to break the existing gutenprint driver. You should be able to reconfigure CUPS to use it again. Installing the vendor driver packages shouldn't have impacted in any way. The CUPS printer configuration utility should allow you to choose the preferred driver. Did you try power-cycling the printer?

What is reported by the following now?

Code:

lpstat -t

ferrari · 03-25-2017, 02:20 AM

Quote:

In a previous life, I had relatives who lived in a unit at Orewa. I guess the village it was then is no longer recognisable. Sigh!

I guess Google Earth could confirm that for you!

(It's a nice place for families IMHO)

Doug Hutcheson · 03-25-2017, 03:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

Not sure how you managed to break the existing gutenprint driver.

I put it back on life support and CUPS is playing nicely again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

What is reported by the following now?

Code:

lpstat -t

Code:

[root@womble Canon Pixma IP 4600]# lpstat -t
scheduler is running
no system default destination
device for BRFAX: socket://192.168.0.150
device for Canon_iP4600_series: usb://Canon/iP4600%20series?serial=909AD2
device for MFC7360N: socket://192.168.0.150
BRFAX accepting requests since Tue 14 Mar 2017 17:42:56 AEST
Canon_iP4600_series accepting requests since Sat 25 Mar 2017 17:15:38 AEST
MFC7360N accepting requests since Sat 25 Mar 2017 16:56:19 AEST
printer BRFAX is idle.  enabled since Tue 14 Mar 2017 17:42:56 AEST
	File "/usr/lib/cups/filter/brfaxfilter" has insecure permissions (0100777/uid=0/gid=0).
printer Canon_iP4600_series is idle.  enabled since Sat 25 Mar 2017 17:15:38 AEST
printer MFC7360N is idle.  enabled since Sat 25 Mar 2017 16:56:19 AEST
	Waiting for printer to finish.
[root@womble Canon Pixma IP 4600]#

All looking good to me - no?

Doug Hutcheson · 03-25-2017, 03:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

I guess Google Earth could confirm that for you! :

Gawdstruth it has grown! Silverdale used to be a service station and two dogs. Orewa looks about eight times as big as it was in my day and there was no bypass? motorway? behind it, which made for major traffic snarls along the waterfront at Christmas - and most fine days, for that matter. Only the beach looks the same. Thanks for bringing back memories of good times. "8-)

ferrari · 03-25-2017, 04:14 AM

Quote:

I put it back on life support and CUPS is playing nicely again.

Good to know it's working again.

Code:

device for Canon_iP4600_series: usb://Canon/iP4600%20series?serial=909AD2
Canon_iP4600_series accepting requests since Sat 25 Mar 2017 17:15:38 AEST

The vendor driver is supposed to use the 'cnijusb' backend rather than the CUPS generic 'usb' backend, so that might have been the reason that it didn't work as expected?

Doug Hutcheson · 03-25-2017, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrari

The vendor driver is supposed to use the 'cnijusb' backend rather than the CUPS generic 'usb' backend, so that might have been the reason that it didn't work as expected?

Interesting. I tried editing the printer.config files in /etc/cups, but that didn't work.

Then I tried deleting and adding the printer again. This time CUPS offered me a new local printer: something like 'Canon network printer'. I chose that option and it automatically selected the cnijusb back-end. I told it to use the Canon driver.

All attempts to print on this printer failed and the CUPS printers page showed the printer with the message "Filter failed".

As a last resort, I deleted all reference to the iP4600, then reinstalled it. CUPS again found it as a local usb printer, so I ran with that and installed the CUPS Gutenprint driver. I accepted all the default options and tried printing a page using the default RGB mode. Blow me down, it printed - very rapidly - with three colours AND black.

Thanks for the help. I will now crawl back under my rock.

"8-)

ferrari · 03-25-2017, 10:43 PM

Quote:

As a last resort, I deleted all reference to the iP4600, then reinstalled it. CUPS again found it as a local usb printer, so I ran with that and installed the CUPS Gutenprint driver. I accepted all the default options and tried printing a page using the default RGB mode. Blow me down, it printed - very rapidly - with three colours AND black.

Thanks for the help. I will now crawl back under my rock.

Back away slowly while you have it working as you like