[HN Gopher] Show HN: AirPrint Bridge: Enable AirPrint for Non-Ai...
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Show HN: AirPrint Bridge: Enable AirPrint for Non-AirPrint Printers
       on macOS
        
       Lightweight, open-source, and fully automated, AirPrint Bridge uses
       macOS's built-in tools to bridge the gap without relying on
       external software. Perfect for reviving your trusty old printer!
        
       Author : eliransapir
       Score  : 46 points
       Date   : 2024-11-27 18:11 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (github.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (github.com)
        
       | ESMP wrote:
       | Might be of use, however do I need to keep the mac running? If
       | that's the case I see no benefit over just using the mac itself
       | to print directly.
       | 
       | However, if this could be installed on my linux server, that
       | would be make this really useful.
        
         | alsetmusic wrote:
         | Presumably useful in a multicomputer environment with a printer
         | shared across the network, such as an office?
        
           | eliransapir wrote:
           | Yep or home especially for printing those return labels from
           | your phone.
        
         | eliransapir wrote:
         | It continues to work while the Mac is sleeping as long as you
         | have an Apple TV, HomePod, or AirPort Express (as those devices
         | run the bonjour sleep proxy).
         | 
         | I'm working on making the script run seamlessly on Linux as
         | well. The only benefit to Linux is that one probably has an
         | always on server or raspberry pi running 24/7.
         | 
         | The macOS version is good for those that have a Mac that's
         | plugged in at home even if it's sleeping. Also resource
         | utilization is 0.0% so not too shabby.
        
         | shmoogy wrote:
         | I use a small Linux vm to host cups with AirPrint setup - it
         | lets us use my old laser printer that would otherwise be e
         | waste.
         | 
         | It's super neat. Except for when my wife has random issues
         | printing. Then I fucking hate it.
        
           | jaktet wrote:
           | I tried this and had too many issues with other devices. I
           | finally just bought a Brother laser printer with built in
           | AirPrint that worked fine for many years but lately it seems
           | to disconnect once in awhile. Current fix for that has been a
           | smart switch that I programmed to just power cycle the
           | printer twice a day.
           | 
           | Eventually I'll just upgrade to a newer one with color and
           | hopefully better AirPort support, but I'm glad cups and
           | AirPrint works alright since I haven't tried it in a few
           | years. The issues your wife is experiencing though are likely
           | the same ones that led me to just get a printer that supports
           | it and from what I read at the time Brother has the best
           | AirPrint support (purely anecdotal)
        
             | rescbr wrote:
             | The most egregious problem that I've found is a GhostScript
             | issue with transparent elements in PDFs that makes the
             | printing process take way too long (and use 100% CPU) to
             | start.
             | 
             | https://github.com/OpenPrinting/cups-filters/issues/569
        
           | kotaKat wrote:
           | I shoved a disused Raspberry Pi running cups behind my
           | Laserjet MFP connected over USB. Works great. As a plus, I
           | could install SANE and get network scanning from it,
           | including from the ADF. scanservjs is a nice frontend for
           | that.
           | 
           | https://sbs20.github.io/scanservjs/
           | 
           | I cheated adding power to it by just using a power cable
           | splitter so I could shove a reliable USB power brick up next
           | to the printer.
           | 
           | https://www.amazon.com/Tekit-Splitter-Single-Female-
           | Adapter/...
        
       | LorenDB wrote:
       | I've never understood why nobody ever created a universal
       | standard for talking to printers over any connection (USB or Wi-
       | Fi). We've standardized most other USB peripherals, from mice to
       | webcams to thumb drives, so why can't we standardize printers to
       | require zero drivers?
       | 
       | As a Linux user, I benefit from CUPS for printing, but I still
       | have occasion to manage printers on Windows, and it's a
       | nightmare.
        
         | mannyv wrote:
         | Some vendors care about lock-in, some don't.
         | 
         | For laser printers pcl/ipp is pretty standard afaik. For
         | inkjets it's different because it's consumer hardware and
         | there's no driver.
         | 
         | Airprint is actually surprisingly standard now. There's even
         | feature discovery.
        
       ___________________________________________________________________
       (page generated 2024-11-28 23:02 UTC)