Printing Labels via SSH with Raspberry Pi Zero and Nix
13 days ago
- #Nix
- #Label Printer
- #Raspberry Pi
- Acquired a second-hand Brother QL-700 label printer and avoided proprietary drivers.
- Used a Raspberry Pi Zero with WiFi, Nix, ImageMagick, and Python for remote printing.
- Initially tried WebUSB tool brotherql-webusb but only managed partial prints.
- Found brother_ql, a Python library/CLI tool for Brother label printers.
- Faced compatibility issues with newer dependencies; resolved using a specific nixpkgs commit.
- Set up Raspberry Pi Zero with Raspberry Pi OS, Nix, and necessary configurations.
- Encountered USB connectivity issues due to Raspberry Pi Zero's microUSB ports.
- Created a custom USB cable by splicing microUSB and USB-B connectors.
- Successfully printed labels using brother_ql and ImageMagick for dynamic label generation.
- Considered further enhancements like a web interface and 3D printed enclosure but stopped due to lack of immediate use-case.