News How to Make a Raspberry Pi-Powered Print Server

[Admin]

If you have an old printer that doesn’t have Wi-Fi, a Raspberry Pi can make it into a wireless printer you can use from any PC or Mac.

How to Make a Raspberry Pi-Powered Print Server : Read more

 

[wbrells]

I've set up a Raspberry Pi to act as print server for a Dymo 330 Turbo LabelMaker (I did this some time ago using an article from a Dennis Sutanto Technology Blog, but the approach seems basically the same as in the current article.) This setup has been working beautifully for printing labels from a PC. Now, though, I would also like to print from a Debian-based Linux system (LinuxFX, specifically). I can't seem to get this setup to work, and I'm not sure what the problem may be! Under Printer Properties I have:

Description: DYMO LabelWriter 330 Turbo

Location: Loft

Device URI: http://192.168.2.64:631/printers/DYMO_LabelWriter_330_Turbo
==> this is exactly the same as used when setting up the printer on the PC

Make and Model: DYMO LabelWriter 330 Turbo,driverless,cups-filters 1.27.4

Printer state: Idle

When I try printing to the Dymo, I get a message saying "printer error" and I have to delete the document from the print queue.

I'm not sure if it needed or not, but I put the PPD for this LabelMaker in the /usr/share/cups/model directory and restarted the CUPS server.

Any thoughts on what is wrong would be greatly appreciated!

 

[wbrells]

UPDATE: I notice that the printer error message includes the text:

Processing - File "/usr/lib/cups/filter/raster2dymolw" not available: No such file or directory

HOWEVER, this file IS present in the specified location! I guess the problem is not with the printer server after all, but something to do with the DYMO software.... No idea what to try next!

Wayne

 

[wbrells]

UPDATE #2 : The DYMO printer works fine when directly connected to the computer via USB, so I guess the problem IS related to the Raspberry Pi print server... Any thoughts/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Wayne

 

[wbrells]

UPDATE #3: With a fresh install of LinuxFX (based on Ubuntu 20.04) and the latest version of WINE I have been able to install the Dymo LabelMaker software 8.7.3 with (apparently) no errors. The program starts up fine but claims it cannot find the printer even though other programs (including ones running with Wine) can print perfectly well to it.

Does anyone know what is so "special" about Dymo printer requirements? Perhaps some CUPS configuration change is needed, or some special permissions set? Any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated!

Wayne

 

[heisdeadjim]

I am failing on step 14, username and password.

pi and raspberry, are not working. I am using this same pi to run a pihole, THAT login also doesn't work.

Ummmm, help?

 

[heisdeadjim]

Okay, solved my own problem. I ssh'd into it. It is a Pi 4, 4GB. I have more than one so the device name is simply "raspberrypi41". When I changed the password in raspi-config back to "raspberry" the admin console let me in.

I wonder if this is fixable? The tutorials on installing a pihole mention to NOT have the default login.

 

[Šebestíček]

I am installed this for my printer Canon MG5150 Series and all working with CUPS, but I can't print from my PC, it doesn't shows me a printer in a list. I am using Raspberry Pi 3B+ and a Windows 10 PC. Please Help. Thanks.

 

[inian]

This guide worked for me for HP Laserjet 1006 with some additions. First i had to download, compile and install foo2xqx driver, because CUPS doesn't have driver for 1006.
Second, the method with automatic windows discovery didn't worked very well. The printer was added but printing garbage.
I used the option "the printer i want isn't listed listed", then "select printer by name" and using this address as name
http://hostname:631/printers/LaserJet1006 (of course changing hostname to IP of my raspberry )

 

[cihlinek]

It is great tutorial, thanks for this. It was my first "RP PI" project

 

[jmp57]

All good up to step 15. What if you don't have an Epson printer (e.g. I have a Brother). Any suggestion ? Thanks

 

[jmp57]

All good up to step 15. What if you don't have an Epson printer (e.g. I have a Brother). Any suggestion ? Thanks

Never mind. The printer has to be plugged into the Pi before step 15. I was using the Windows mindset "install driver first, then plug device in".

 

[Pica Pica]

Thank you for the excellent and easy to follow tutorial Les. I now have my old Samsung ML-1915 printer back up and running in a spare room and happily printing from my iMac, Windows laptop, iOS devices and an old Android tablet. In case anyone else with an aged Samsung printer is having a crack at this project, note that you will need to download some hard-to-find Samsung-specific printer driver software - Splix. After downloading/installing CUPS you'll need to add this: sudo apt install printer-driver-splix
Good luck and happy printing.

 

[Alpaswiss]

Thank You very much for this guide.

I want to extend this with a Power-Relay for the AC-Supply of my Printer.
I need my Printer not very often, ant want to automatically break the AC Supply, if the Printer is not needed. Now i have a little Print-Server installed to the printer, and power it via the Power-Switch of the Printer. But it would be very conveniant, when i can start a printing job via a RaspberryPi ant the Printer gets turned on automatically, if the job is reported as finished, a delay starts, after that my RaspberryPi Print Server breaks the AC Power of the Printer.

The Relay and proper Handling of the AC Power is no Problem for me, but the code to use a GPIO for controlling the Relay is the tricky part for me. Is there any advice, or is there someone, who already solved that Problem?