Target system: Debian 13 (trixie)
Problem: Canon legacy printer drivers depend on GTK2 / libglade2, which were removed from Debian 13.
Solution: Temporarily install required GTK2 packages from Debian 12 (bookworm) and lock them to prevent upgrades.

Disclaimer

This guide installs deprecated GTK2 libraries on Debian 13 only to support a legacy Canon printer driver.

  • Not recommended for clean or long-term systems
  • Acceptable for personal or workstation use
  • Do NOT use this approach on production servers

If your printer supports IPP / AirPrint / Gutenprint, use those instead.

Driver Information

  • Printer models: Canon LBP6030 / LBP6030B / LBP6030w
  • Driver: UFRII LT Printer Driver Ver.5.00
  • Status: Unmaintained / legacy
  • Dependency issue: GTK2 removed in Debian 13

1. Add Debian 12 (bookworm) repository (temporary)

Create a separate source list file:

sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/bookworm.list

Add the following line:

deb http://deb.debian.org/debian bookworm main

Update package lists:

sudo apt update

2. Install required GTK2 libraries from bookworm

Force apt to install only the required packages from Debian 12:

sudo apt install -t bookworm \
  libglade2-0 \
  libgtk2.0-0 \
  libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0

This ensures compatible versions and proper dependency resolution.

3. Prevent future upgrades (IMPORTANT)

Debian 13 will later attempt to upgrade these packages, which breaks the Canon driver. Freeze them using apt-mark hold:

sudo apt-mark hold \
  libglade2-0 \
  libgtk2.0-0 \
  libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0 \
  libgail-common \
  libgtk2.0-bin \
  libgtk2.0-common

Verify the hold status:

apt-mark showhold

4. Remove the bookworm repository

Once the required packages are installed and locked, remove the bookworm source:

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/bookworm.list
sudo apt update

This prevents accidental cross-release upgrades.

5. Install CUPS and drivers:

Install cups:

sudo apt install cups

Extract the Canon driver archive and run the installer:

sudo ./install.sh

If the installer reports missing dependencies, resolve them and re-run the script.

6. Test printing

  • Add the printer via CUPS
  • Print a test page
  • If it prints successfully, do not modify the setup further

Notes

  • apt-mark hold locks the exact package versions and prevents upgrades
  • This setup survives normal apt upgrade
  • Major Debian version upgrades may require repeating this process

Final Verdict

This works, but it is technical debt.

GTK2 is deprecated, and Canon no longer maintains this driver. Use this workaround only if no IPP or native alternative is available.

If it prints, stop touching it.