Giclee printing on linux - what's the lowdown?

Software
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I’m working on the printing end of my transition to a free and open source artwork-reproduction process.
Specifically, I have access to Canon imagePROGRAF printers, which I’ve been using for years on Windows, but would like to be able to print on from a Debian 13 machine.
Linux drivers don’t seem to be available from Canon and I haven’t found anything in the Debian 13 repo. Interestingly around a year ago I was able to print on a Pro-1000 from a Debian 12 laptop when we were in the middle of a load of issues with Windows and Photoshop, but I don’t know what was different then. I don’t remember manually installing any drivers.
Does anyone have any insight?

I’ve come across TurboPrint, but it doesn’t appear to be open source except for some bundled plugins. Does anyone else use it?

I’m also interested in hearing about the broader ‘scene’ - are there any high quality printers which have a reputation for being straightforward to get up-and-running on Linux? Where are people getting their drivers? And what software are others using for colour-managed printing?

Apart from this, I’ve been able to get everything sorted (capture, processing, profiling etc.) for a fully FOSS Linux workflow. Printing is the last piece of the puzzle.

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I’m no expert at printing but since no one else has replied…
TurboPrint seems to be the most popular and reliable way to print from linux, if you search the forum for e.g. turboprint I think you’ll find people asking similarly to yourself.

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I dont print from linux, but iirc if the printer can do wi-fi direct/airprint you might already be able to print with no drivers needed. That may not mean it prints correctly, but it is worth checking out. Many people here use turboprint when printing photos under linux.

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Yes, it’s looking like Turboprint might be the most straightforward option… It’s a shame it’s not open source though.

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Some folks say, TurboPrint works well. It does not, however, allow you to use paper manufacturers’ ICC profiles. At the very least, you’ll therefore need to do your own testing if it works for your purposes.

In my brief Linux experiment, I resorted to printing from a VM. (To be clear, I’m not saying TurboPrint is bad. I just didn’t try it.)

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Your disappointment should be focused on the device manufacturer imo. If Canon, Epson, et. al did not wrap their product in layers of proprietary IP bullshit, we wouldnt be in this situation. Much like Canon and the .CR# raw formats (and every other brand’s specific raw format). But…here we are shrug

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Don’t worry, my disappointment is indeed directed at them. And if/when I’m shopping for a printer I will be looking for one with Linux support and open source drivers.
None of that is going to stop me from looking for a solution to my current situation though.

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That sounds like quite a restriction… Do you know if TurboPrint disallows using user-made profiles as well as manufacturers’?

Edit: it looks like you can use icc profiles for printing

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At least Epson provide Linux drivers, or at least they do for my XP-15000.

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some printers also have an SD card slot, I have a small canon selphy dye sub with one, I think some of the larger epson printers have them, as I recall one with CMYK only used for printing posters might, or i might be talking out of my hat, it might have a built in scanner instead

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I totally agree. When the core offering is a piece of hardware it’s difficult to justify.
Epson do at least provide Linux drivers and publish source code, but not for all of their printers apparently. And from what I can tell the code is only ‘source available’ and not under a free license.