How to Install Canon LiDE Scanner Drivers on Linux: A Comprehensive Guide

Setting up a Canon LiDE scanner on a Linux system can sometimes be a challenge. While Canon scanners often work seamlessly with Windows drivers, Linux users might encounter a few hurdles. This guide provides a detailed, step-by-step approach to successfully install and configure your Canon LiDE scanner drivers on a Linux system, ensuring your scanner is recognized and functions correctly. Whether you are using Ubuntu or another Linux distribution, this tutorial will walk you through the necessary steps to get your Canon LiDE scanner up and running.

Step 1 – Ensuring Scanner Recognition

The first crucial step is to make sure your Linux system recognizes your Canon LiDE scanner. This involves installing essential packages that facilitate USB device recognition and scanner utilities.

Open your terminal and execute the following commands sequentially:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install sane-utils libusb-dev usbutils

• sudo apt update: This command refreshes your package lists, ensuring you have the latest versions of software packages available.
• sudo apt install sane-utils libusb-dev usbutils: This command installs three key packages:
  • sane-utils: Provides essential utilities for scanner access.
  • libusb-dev: A library for accessing USB devices, necessary for scanner communication.
  • usbutils: Contains utilities for inspecting USB devices, including lsusb.

To verify if your Canon scanner is recognized at the USB level, use the lsusb command, filtering for Canon-specific identifiers:

lsusb | grep '04a9'

The identifier 04a9 is unique to Canon. If this command returns no output, it indicates that your system is not currently recognizing the connected scanner.

Troubleshooting Scanner Recognition:

1. Check USB Connection: Ensure the USB cable connecting your Canon LiDE scanner to your computer is securely plugged in at both ends. Try a different USB port on your computer to rule out port issues.
2. System Restart: Reboot your Linux system while keeping the scanner connected. Sometimes a restart is necessary for the system to properly detect new USB devices.
3. Scanner Initialization Noise: Listen for any sounds from your scanner during system startup. Canon scanners often make a slight mechanical noise as the scan head adjusts. If you don’t hear this, it could indicate a power or connection problem.
4. Windows USB Test (If Applicable): If you have access to a Windows machine, temporarily connect your scanner and install the Canon Windows drivers. This can help verify if the USB connection and scanner hardware are functioning correctly. Canon’s Windows drivers are generally well-supported, making this a useful diagnostic step.

Step 2 – Scanner Identification and Permissions

Once your system recognizes the scanner at the USB level, the next step is to identify it specifically and configure the necessary permissions for scanner access.

Run the lsusb command again to see the detailed output of connected USB devices. You should see a line corresponding to your Canon scanner, similar to the example below:

Bus 001 Device 002: ID 04a9:190a Canon, Inc. CanoScan LiDE 120

Note the “Bus” and “Device” numbers associated with your scanner from the lsusb output (e.g., 001 and 002 in the example). You’ll use these to check the file access control list (ACL) for the scanner device. Replace 001 and 002 with your bus and device numbers in the following command:

getfacl /dev/bus/usb/001/002

This command displays the ACL for your specific scanner device. The output will show group ownership and permissions. You need to ensure your user account is part of the correct group to access the scanner. In many cases, the relevant group is lp (printer group).

To add your user to the necessary groups (typically saned for scanner management and lp), use the usermod command. Replace $USER with your username if needed, though $USER usually represents your current user account in the terminal:

sudo usermod -aG saned,lp $USER

• sudo usermod -aG saned,lp $USER: This command adds your user ($USER) to the saned and lp groups. The -aG option ensures you are added to these groups without being removed from any existing groups.

To confirm that you have been added to the saned and lp groups, you can use the following command:

cat /etc/group | grep $USER

This command lists the groups your user belongs to. Verify that saned and lp are included in the output. If not, try running the usermod command again and then log out and log back in to your system for the group changes to take effect.

Finally, use the sane-find-scanner command to check if the SANE (Scanner Access Now Easy) library can now detect your scanner:

sane-find-scanner

If successful, sane-find-scanner will output details about your Canon scanner, indicating that it has been correctly identified by the SANE backend.

Troubleshooting Scanner Identification:

1. Verify Group Membership: Double-check the output of cat /etc/group | grep $USER to confirm you are indeed a member of the saned and lp groups. If not, re-run the usermod command and ensure you log out and back in.
2. Restart SANE services: Sometimes restarting the SANE daemon can help. Try sudo systemctl restart saned.socket or sudo service saned restart depending on your system.

Step 3 – Software Backend Installation

Even after successful scanner identification, the scanimage -L command, which lists available scanner devices for scanning, might still fail. This is often due to the version of the SANE backend for Canon scanners. Compiling and installing the latest SANE backend is generally a cleaner and more effective solution than using distribution-specific repositories, which might contain older versions.

First, install the necessary prerequisites for compiling software from source:

sudo apt install build-essential libieee1284-3 gphoto2 autoconf automake libtool gettext git autopoint autoconf-archive pkg-config libjpeg-dev

• sudo apt install ...: This command installs a suite of development tools and libraries required for compiling software, including:
  • build-essential: Essential tools for compiling C/C++ code (gcc, make, etc.).
  • libieee1284-3: Library for parallel port access (potentially needed for older scanners, though less relevant for USB).
  • gphoto2: Digital camera library (can have dependencies relevant to image handling).
  • autoconf, automake, libtool, gettext, git, autopoint, autoconf-archive, pkg-config: Build system utilities for configuring and compiling source code.
  • libjpeg-dev: Development files for the JPEG image library, needed for image format support in scanning.

Choose a directory where you want to download and build the SANE backend source code (e.g., your home directory or a dedicated “src” folder). Then, use git to clone the SANE backends repository from GitLab:

git clone https://gitlab.com/sane-project/backends.git
cd backends

• git clone https://gitlab.com/sane-project/backends.git: Downloads the source code of the SANE backends from the official GitLab repository.
• cd backends: Changes your current directory into the newly created backends folder.

Now, prepare the build environment and configure the compilation process:

./autogen.sh
BACKENDS="canon pixma" ./configure
make
sudo make install

• ./autogen.sh: Generates the configure script and other build files if they are not present (needed when building from Git).
• BACKENDS="canon pixma" ./configure: Configures the build process, specifically selecting only the canon and pixma backends to be compiled. This speeds up compilation and reduces unnecessary components.
• make: Compiles the selected SANE backends.
• sudo make install: Installs the compiled backends to the system directories, requiring administrator privileges (sudo).

After successful installation, run scanimage -L again. It should now correctly identify your Canon LiDE scanner and list it as an available device.

scanimage -L

Example output of scanimage -L after installing the updated SANE backend, now successfully detecting the Canon scanner.

You can also check the SANE backend version using:

scanimage -V

This will show the version of the SANE backend you are now using. Compiling from the latest Git repository will typically update your backend version to the newest available, potentially resolving compatibility issues.

Step 4 – Optional Scanning Software

With the drivers installed, you can use various scanning applications. A user-friendly option is Simple Scan:

sudo apt install simple-scan

• sudo apt install simple-scan: Installs the Simple Scan application, a straightforward and easy-to-use scanning utility for Linux.

Simple Scan provides a graphical interface for basic scanning tasks and is a good starting point for using your Canon LiDE scanner on Linux. Other scanning software options include VueScan (commercial but with excellent scanner support) and gscan2pdf (for creating PDF documents directly from scans).

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully install and use your Canon LiDE scanner on your Linux system. This guide focuses on a robust and reliable method using the latest SANE backend, ensuring optimal compatibility and functionality for your scanner.