python-escpos/doc/user/printers.rst

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Printers
========
:Last Reviewed: 2023-08-10
As of now there are 8 different types of printer implementations.
USB
---
The USB-class uses pyusb and libusb to communicate with USB-based
printers.
.. note::
This driver is not suited for USB-to-Serial-adapters
and similiar devices, but only for those implementing native USB.
.. autoclass:: escpos.printer.Usb
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Serial
------
This driver uses pyserial in order to communicate with serial devices.
If you are using an USB-based adapter to connect to the serial port,
then you should also use this driver.
The configuration is often based on DIP-switches that you can set on your
printer. For the hardware-configuration please refer to your printer's manual.
.. autoclass:: escpos.printer.Serial
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Network
-------
This driver is based on the socket class.
.. autoclass:: escpos.printer.Network
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Troubleshooting
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Problems with a network-attached printer can have numerous causes.
Make sure that your device has a proper IP address.
Often you can check the IP address by triggering the self-test of the device.
As a next step try to send text manually to the device.
You could use for example:
::
echo "OK\n" | nc IPADDRESS 9100
# the port number is often 9100
As a last resort try to reset the interface of the printer.
This should be described in its manual.
File
----
This printer "prints" just into a file-handle.
Especially on \*nix-systems this comes very handy.
.. autoclass:: escpos.printer.File
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Dummy
-----
The Dummy-printer is mainly for testing- and debugging-purposes.
It stores all of the "output" as raw ESC/POS in a string and returns that.
.. autoclass:: escpos.printer.Dummy
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CUPS
----
This driver uses `pycups` in order to communicate with a CUPS server.
Supports both local and remote CUPS printers and servers.
The printer must be properly configured in CUPS administration.
The connector generates a print job that is added to the CUPS queue.
.. autoclass:: escpos.printer.CupsPrinter
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LP
----
This driver uses the UNIX command `lp` in order to communicate with a CUPS server.
Supports local and remote CUPS printers.
The printer must be properly configured in CUPS administration.
The connector spawns a new sub-process where the command lp is executed.
No dependencies required, but somehow the print queue will affect some
print job such as barcode.
.. autoclass:: escpos.printer.LP
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Win32Raw
--------
This driver uses a native WIN32 interface of Windows in order to print.
Please refer to the code for documentation as this driver is currently
not included in the documentation build.
.. todo:: Include Win32Raw in documentation build