User-contributed Printer Entry

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--- Go to ftp://download.canon.jp/pub/driver/bj/linux/
Download and install cnijfilter-common-2.60-1.i386.rpm
Download and install cnijfilter-mp500-2.60-1.i386.rpm

This will create the file:
  /usr/share/cups/model/canonmp500.ppd

Point your CUPS software to the canonmp500.ppd file.

--- Tested on SuSE 8.2/CUPS/USB. My CUPS configuration is via SuSE's YaST2 system configurator utility. It auto-detected the printer (connected via USB) and the new ppd file, which it placed as an option with the other Canon drivers.

--- Tested with Canon Pixma MP530 and Mandrake 10 linux, working OK. Command "drakconf" used to install the canonmp500.ppd driver file.

--- Tested with openSUSE 10.2 (64 Bit) too. It works, but there are some problems while installing the printer (seems to be 32 Bit). The printer is auto-detected too, but printing doesn't work. To see the problem start your browser and look for http://localhost:631/ (CUPS). The driver/CUPS is looking for the filter 'pstocanonij' (created during installing the rpm) in /usr/lib64/cups/filter, the rpm's installed the filter in /usr/lib/cups/filter. So adding a link pstocanonij in /usr/lib64/cups/filter to /usr/lib/cups/filter/pstocanonij and printing will work.

--- Tested with Fedora 6 in late Jan. 2007. Basic printing set up very easily using the aforementioned ppd file; verified functionality in firefox and openoffice, including duplexing and paper tray selection. Gimp-print was somewhat of a challenge, as gimp-print/gutenprint doesn't have an entry for it. Ended up selecting printer model "Adobe", postscript level 2, selecting the aforementioned ppd file, and then manually adjusting to the following settings: paper superphoto (pick yours), slot cassette (pick yours), brightness 0.8, contrast 2.4, gamma 3.4. Prints beautifully, and takes paper from the right tray. If you don't change the brightness, contrast, and gamma, the images will come out too dark. If you only increase the gamma, blacks become grainy. If you only increase the brightness, you don't get as much graininess, but colors become oversaturated. Increasing the contrast keeps the graininess off of the blacks as you make it lighter, while a slightly depressed brightness with a greatly increased gamma makes the color balance and overall lightness correct. Print small test images on your desired paper while deciding if my settings work well for your situation.

Scanning was trickier: sane-backends 1.0.18, the most recent release (October), didn't do the trick. I had to check out sane-backends (cvs -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.alioth.debian.org:/cvsroot/sane login; cvs -z3 -d:pserver:anonymous@cvs.alioth.debian.org:/cvsroot/sane co sane-backends), configure with ./configure --prefix=/usr --sysconfdir=/etc, build it, and install it over top of my old sane. Root was then able to scan, but users weren't. The trick to granting users permission isn't to change permissions on your printer in /proc/bus/usb, as is generally recommended, but /dev/bus/usb.

Overall impressions: everything I've tried works great except for the limited print resolution (600x600) -- and, honestly, I'm quite impressed with its quality of prints at this resolution (clean edges, no banding, great detail), so I can't complain. While initial setups of gimp-print and sane were a bit tricky for me, hopefully the above instructions will work for you, making this printer both high quality and easy to use. With the next release of sane, the step of using the devel version should be able to be eliminated (perhaps even gimp print/gutenprint will get an entry) ---

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