Portable text2eth0 printer?

Question

Presently I use rPi to listen to text-to-speech, by transfering the PC generated *.wav files via a USBstik, to the battery-powered rPi.

Similarly, instead of finding some Windows-user, to print my text via their eth0 connection, I want to just plug my battery-powered rPi into the office ethernet that feeds the printer, and get the text on the USBstik printed.

The rPi will be hearderless: without any display + keyboard; like when it plays my text-to-speech files.

So then I'd need to find out the printer's IP? How do I do that? The 'one' user who may co-operate with my needs, would not know.

Perhaps the HP-printer's name is standard for the product, and available via the net? But no; since it must be able to share the ethN with other same-make printers?

What's the general syntax to drive the printer ?

== TIA.

Dennis Lee Bieber · Accepted Answer

On Sat, 15 Mar 2014 11:47:07 +0000 (UTC), Unknown declaimed the following:

I don't know of any modern printer that responds to plain text anymore...

HP may still respond to PCL (printer control language) for layout purposes; higher end laser printers probably still support PostScript.

But for the most part, it seems they are all now driven by raw image data prepared on the sending host. Even my Nook HD+ using a third party printer utility had to download a formatting module to drive the networked Office Jet 8100.

Actually managing the network discovery? That's another protocol -- possibly:

formatting link

Ivan D. Reid · Answer

On Sat, 15 Mar 2014 12:53:22 -0400, Dennis Lee Bieber   wrote in : 	Our LaserJets auto-detect plain text, PostScript(TM) and PCL. (That's a 1320, 4300, and 5550 from memory.)  It's possible to do tricks such as ./myprog | lpr -P ljcol --  Ivan Reid, School of Engineering & Design, _____________  CMS Collaboration, Brunel University.    |    Room 40-1-B12, CERN         KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

Roger Ivie · Answer

Another thing to look at would be Rendezvous, Apple's protocol for device discovery. They may have changed the name; it's been quite some time since I looked at it. --  roger ivie

Christian Brunschen · Answer

Apple use the name "Bonjour":    But the more general name is "zero-conf", short for "zero-configuration  networking":    RFCs: * Multiast DNS:    * DNS-Based Service Discovery:    An implementation for Linux & the BSDs is Avahi:       Best wishes, // Christian

Jasen Betts · Answer

Install "cups" and enable remote configuration. then setup the printer on the rPi then you can print when away from the office and it will get queued until the printer is avalable.

perhaps... OTOH perhaps you need a special driver to make the printer work.

lpr < text-file

Jasen Betts · Answer

Indeed, it's called "Bonjour" now. see wikipedia for history of the change. --  Neither the pheasant plucker, nor the pheasant plucker's son.

The Natural Philosopher · Answer

use cups and configure it to see the printer. It MAY be able to find out  the actual printer IP address,] --  Ineptocracy (in-ep-toc?-ra-cy) ? a system of government where the least capable to  lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the  members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are  rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a  diminishing number of producers.

The Natural Philosopher · Answer

rubbishh., Mos5use postcr[pt etc except the noddy low level  crap ghostcript+ cups is what you need --  Ineptocracy (in-ep-toc?-ra-cy) ? a system of government where the least capable to  lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the  members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are  rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a  diminishing number of producers.

Warren Oates · Answer

Avahi for Linux does the same thing:  --  Where's the Vangelis music? Pris' tongue is sticking out in in the wide shot after Batty has kissed her. They have put back more tits into the Zhora dressing  room scene.   -- notes for Blade Runner

Jasen Betts · Answer

"officejet 8100" is a desktop inkjet, It doesn't even do PCL. postscript is right out.

you need the hp interface driver "hplip" too.

Ghostscript is slow to execute on the raspberry Pi, but inkjets are slow to print so slowness is probably not a big deal

Dennis Lee Bieber · Answer

On 16 Mar 2014 00:39:16 GMT, Jasen Betts declaimed the following:

According to the spec sheet, it does do PCL 3 (though exactly where is unclear -- possibly the computer end driver can accept PCL files for rendering rather than sending them straight through for printer rendering)

Portable text2eth0 printer?

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