Using a Raspberry Pi to put a legacy printer on the network
New Life
© Photo by Ales Maze on Unsplash
Niche hardware from the olden days does not always embrace the network. Attaching a Raspberry Pi or other single board computer can add lots of new functionality.
I inherited a DYMO 400 label printer that has a simple USB connection, but it has recently lost the Windows support lottery. My goal was to convert this old standalone label printer (Figure 1) into a network label printer that all the computers on my network can access. Linux users often chafe at the need to replace hardware that is still functioning perfectly well, so keeping an old printer going is a problem that many of us have faced in the past. In this case, it actually appears that the old version of the printer might function better than the newer model (see the box entitled "DRM Woes"), so I'd prefer to keep using it.
Figure 1: The DYMO 400 label printer.
The Linux ecosystem is a rich and mature environment with all sorts of programs and utilities that cover almost any situation, but back in the 1990s, printing support in Linux was fairly limited due to the large number of standards and protocols and the lack of Linux-specific drivers. In 1999, Easy Software Products saw this defect/opportunity and created the Common UNIX Printing System (CUPS). The CUPS solution basically turns the computer running it into a print server.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Nitrux 6.0 Now Ready to Rock Your World
The latest iteration of the Debian-based distribution includes all kinds of newness.
-
Linux Foundation Reports that Open Source Delivers Better ROI
In a report that may surprise no one in the Linux community, the Linux Foundation found that businesses are finding a 5X return on investment with open source software.
-
Keep Android Open
Google has announced that, soon, anyone looking to develop Android apps will have to first register centrally with Google.
-
Kernel 7.0 Now in Testing
Linus Torvalds has announced the first Release Candidate (RC) for the 7.x kernel is available for those who want to test it.
-
Introducing matrixOS, an Immutable Gentoo-Based Linux Distro
It was only a matter of time before a developer decided one of the most challenging Linux distributions needed to be immutable.
-
Chaos Comes to KDE in KaOS
KaOS devs are making a major change to the distribution, and it all comes down to one system.
-
New Linux Botnet Discovered
The SSHStalker botnet uses IRC C2 to control systems via legacy Linux kernel exploits.
-
The Next Linux Kernel Turns 7.0
Linus Torvalds has announced that after Linux kernel 6.19, we'll finally reach the 7.0 iteration stage.
-
Linux From Scratch Drops SysVinit Support
LFS will no longer support SysVinit.
-
LibreOffice 26.2 Now Available
With new features, improvements, and bug fixes, LibreOffice 26.2 delivers a modern, polished office suite without compromise.