Canon i9900 Printer Working Ubuntu 14.04

I've owned a Canon i9900 printer for a long time.  I've had it since Windows XP was new. It's a great photo printer and can handle large format papers.  When I switched to Ubuntu I still had an XP machine to handle all my printing and after that I used VirtualBox to run XP, then Window 7.  Now with Windows 10 on the VirtualBox it does not support the Canon i9900 so it's time to get it working in Ubuntu 14.04 +.

The short answer is use the CANON BJC8500 DRIVER not the i9900.


To ADD a printer to Ubuntu go to SYSTEM SETTING and click on PRINTERS or use your SEARCH Panel and type in PRINTER.  Once the PRINTERS window opens select ADD.

This will open up the ADD PRINTER dialog window. My Canon i9900 is attached to my network with a small Print Server Box and NOT through USB.  I selected the Find Network Printer option and typed in the IP Address of my Print Server Box (replace the XX.XX with you IP).

Click the FIND Button

After Ubuntu finds your Print Server Box just Click on the FORWARD Button.

Next Select CANON and click the FORWARD Button

Here is the big Secret!!! Select the BJC8500 Driver.  There is a i9900 Driver and a 9900i Driver but they do NOT WORK.  Trust me and Select the BJC8500 Driver.  The only thing you lose is some resolution, it drops to 600x600 but at lest your printer works.

Click the APPLY Button, then print a Test Page to make sure it works.

To show you NOT to pick the i9900, 9900i, 9100i, i9100, 9950i or i9950 Drivers I've scanned in my test prints with the i9900 Driver and one with the BJC8500.  I don't know why the rightly named driver does not work but trust me it doesn't (two weeks time invested in this discovery).

CANON i9900 DRIVER TEST PRINT

Notice the faded colors especially black, the elongated text and ovals instead of circles. Everything runs off the edge of the paper too. 

CANNON BJC8500 DRIVER TEST PRINT

Much better, no fade, good color, true circles and it fits on the page.

I did not try this with the printer plugged directly into a USB port.  You should try the i9900 first before you use my work around.  I would assume that Ubuntu would just FIND your printer if it was plugged directly into USB which would let you skip the NETWORK and IP steps.