Hi all!

I’ve been dual-booting windows and linux mint for a while now. I’m mostly being held back by just a few things preventing me from switching to only linux, though. One thing in particular is I’m running a small new business for printing art and photos, and we use the proprietary Canon Professional Print & Layout software to set up all sorts of custom layouts.

It’s nice because it’s quite purpose-built for choosing different papers, has really nice control over margins, sizing, and placement, and integrates nicely with our printer. It also gives tools for professional colour management, as well as soft-proofing in client.

Do any of you have experience with native linux software that works similarly to this? Is this type of functionality one of the things that GIMP can cover? (I tried years ago to learn how to tackle GIMP but I simply did not click with it, though I’d be willing to give it another shot if there isn’t a better choice)

Also, I think CUPS can contact my printer on the network, but i am worried that i might lose some functionality without the proprietary drivers? Like HDR/high bit-depth colour or something.

If any of you have experience or tips on this, I’d really appreciate it!