Print from Linux CUPS to printer on Win8.1 with server side rendering

[Swamp Thing]

I have installed a Canon LBP 6030w printer on an old Windows 8.1 laptop that I would like to use occasionally as a print server.

The main reason for this is that Canon does not provide drivers for ARM Linux, and I want to print from a Raspberry Pi.

What I have done so far is:
1. Shared the printer on the laptop, and disabled the checkbox for "Render on client".

2. Followed the steps in https://cheapwindowsvps.com/blog/ho...windows-shared-printer-a-comprehensive-guide/ to create a special user called raspicups

3. Installed smbclient (SAMBA client) on the Pi.

4. Did smbclient -L \192.168.1.21 -U raspicups to verify that the printer is visible to the Pi.

Now according to the instructions linked to in step 2, one has to use the CUPS interface on the Pi to install the printer. This involves selecting a vendor and model number. However, since Canon don't provide ARM Linux drivers for this model, the dropdown list does not include my LBP6030w.

However...
since I have disabled client side rendering on the shared printer, CUPS should not need to have drivers for it. And CUPS does offer an alternative to selecting a vendor and model, namely to select a "PPD" file. I gather from a quick search that this is a file that should tell CUPS something about the printer's features in order to create a print setup dialog, while freeing CUPS from the responsibility of rendering the pages.

I could not find a PPD file for this model, though.

Which brings me to: is there a way to hack a solution for this?

 

[pbuk]

And CUPS does offer an alternative to selecting a vendor and model, namely to select a "PPD" file.

1. Providing a printer through a Windows printer share is not a magic way to overcome driver problems and is only adding to your difficulties: I suggest you remove it from the equation and print directly to the printer from Raspberry Pi OS.
2. PPD stands for "Postscript Printer Definition" and works with Postscript printers.
3. The model you describe does not support Postscript, it only supports UFR II.
4. Canon provides a Linux driver for UFR II at https://asia.canon/en/support/0100924010. For the Raspberry Pi OS you will want the ARM 64 Debian driver.
5. This does not guarantee success with any particular combination of Pi OS and printer but posts on the Raspberry Pi forums do give some hopes of success.
6. The Raspberry Pi forums (https://forums.raspberrypi.com/) are a much better place than PF to find help on getting things to work on a Raspberry Pi: they are not so good on general relativity.