# Canon Pixma MP610 on FreeBSD CURRENT



## stargazer (Jan 6, 2009)

Hi!

I have Canon Pixma MP610 printer and I want to use it under FreeBSD. 
I had successfully installed PPD file in CUPS and started the printer. When I tried to print test page CUPS said:

"Unable to start filter "pstocanonij" - No such file or directory."

Many Linux users have the same problem. They solve it by installing cnijfilter-common-2.70-1.i386.rpm package which contains pstocanonij filter.

So can I use this filter on my FreeBSD? And how to do it?
Thanks for your answers.


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## Oko (Jan 6, 2009)

No it doesn't work on Unix. Apparently Canon has some proprietary 
Linux drivers and in the following blog somebody reported even 
getting scanner to work http://mp610.blogspot.com/2007/11/new-sane-scanner-driver-for-canon-mp610.html

I personally do not bother with printers which do not speak PostScript. You need no drivers for them. 
You can try "hardware fix" for your printer. Get PostScript module from some old defunct HP Laser Jet or something like that and try to wire it to your printer. 

In U.S. you can get new monochromatic laser printer which speaks
PostScript for about $100 if you are lucky so no need to mess with junk anyway.


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## Djn (Jan 7, 2009)

His pixma and a monochromatic laser printer are for completely different purposes, though - one, and just one, of them produces something that looks good in a picture frame.

I've got another canon photo printer here, and I've resigned to printing to that from windows. It helps that I've also got a cheap Oki laser (ok, it's technically a LED printer, not a laser) that I use for anything non-photographic, and that one works everywhere.

edit: Looking at it, there's several people printing with assorted canon printers, such as in this thread.


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## Oko (Jan 7, 2009)

Djn said:
			
		

> His pixma and a monochromatic laser printer are for completely different purposes, though - one, and just one, of them produces something that looks good in a picture frame.
> 
> I've got another canon photo printer here, and I've resigned to printing to that from windows. It helps that I've also got a cheap Oki laser (ok, it's technically a LED printer, not a laser) that I use for anything non-photographic, and that one works everywhere.
> 
> edit: Looking at it, there's several people printing with assorted canon printers, such as in this thread.



I suggested monochromatic printer as most people print documents.
If you need to print pictures there are also color laser printer.
You can get inexpensive color laser probably for about $200. 
For a serious picture printing you will probably have to spend around $1000 but unless you have private photo business it is far cheaper to print your pictures in Wal-mart. 

Speaking of ink jets photo printers I really like Epsons which 
are supported fine by superb quality Gutenprint drivers. If you must have all-in-one devices HP is probably safest bet although lots of Epson all-in-one devices also work. 

Canon doesn't support anything except Windows the same is true for Lexmark and Brother ink-jet printers an all-in-one devices. 
Most of those printers do not work on Mac let alone on Linux or God forbid on Unix.  
Lexmark laser printers are on the another hand fantastic. The same is true for lots of Brother printers. I would not take Canon even if somebody gives me for free.


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## stargazer (Jan 7, 2009)

Thanks for your answers.


			
				Djn said:
			
		

> Looking at it, there's several people printing with assorted canon printers, such as in this thread.


I've tried to compile Linux driver and to run it in emulation. The filter is working but printer doesn't print. I mean when CUPS send file to printer nothing happens. :\
That is quite strange because my old Canon S200x was working under FreeBSD.
So now I need to run Windows to print photos.


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## Djn (Jan 7, 2009)

To be completely honest: Don't tell me how to print my photos, I know what I'm doing. I really can't be bothered to get myself into town whenever I need to print a few photos; a good A4 photo printer isn't that expensive, and laser photo printers are still ... non-ideal. Oh, and neither of us are within convenient travel distance of a Wal-mart. 

It is however a good idea to find something with better freebsd support - so if the Epson drivers work well, I'll consider that the next time. And indeed, getting a cheap decent laser for anything that's not photographs is also smart. (As noted, I've got one)

I'll give Canon one thing, though - their ink system (basically, simple cheap ink tanks with the complicated stuff separated out) makes them pleasantly cheap to operate. Now if only their software people could get a clue ...

stargazer, is the followup in any way relevant?


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## stargazer (Jan 7, 2009)

Djn said:
			
		

> stargazer, is the followup in any way relevant?


I tried to change permissions like it's done in that thread but it didn't help. I think the problem is in the driver.


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## tingo (Jan 7, 2009)

Hmm, even OpenPrinting.org doesn't have much to say about this printer:
http://openprinting.org/show_printer.cgi?recnum=Canon-PIXMA_MP610


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## Erratus (Jan 7, 2009)

Do you use Gutenprint?
It's on ports/print/gutenprint.

Got my PIXMA MP780 working with Gutenprint. But I still did not manage to calibrate color print.


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## stargazer (Jan 8, 2009)

*At last!*



			
				Erratus said:
			
		

> Do you use Gutenprint?
> It's on ports/print/gutenprint.
> 
> Got my PIXMA MP780 working with Gutenprint. But I still did not manage to calibrate color print.


I have tried to use Gutenprint few months ago and it didn't work (the same problem with filter) 
But now updating the port of Gutenprint made it work. At last I'm able to print monochromatic text and pictures.


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## joseph_tsai (Dec 15, 2012)

Hi,
 I find this article today. Maybe it can solve your problem.

http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions/2008-October/183685.html 

 It is compile from the official linux source code and use linux-emul function of freebsd.

 hope helpful!


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## joseph_tsai (Dec 16, 2012)

*hardware fix?*



			
				Oko said:
			
		

> You can try "hardware fix" for your printer. Get PostScript module from some old defunct HP Laser Jet or something like that and try to wire it to your printer.



 Are you seriously? If not joking do you have the experience about this? I know that HP's
laser printer mostly was OEM from Canon. And where can we get the related information?:q


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## wblock@ (Dec 16, 2012)

Old HP lasers had PostScript in a big double-sided DIMM.  It was not something that would be portable to another type of printer.  The modern way to add PostScript printing is with a PostScript interpreter on the host computer.  That's what Ghostscript is.  It renders that PostScript code and uses drivers to send or format those bitmaps for the target printer.  The problem is that some manufacturers don't document how to print to their printers with their proprietary, undocumented page description languages.  It can be reverse engineered, but it's not easy and may not result in a dependable driver.

The easy way is to avoid printers with undocumented, proprietary page description languages.  For lasers, preferably go with PostScript, or at least PCL.  For photo inkjets, Epson's PDL is well-supported.


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