181 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
181 lines
4.1 KiB
Markdown
# Brother QL Bridge
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A TCP-to-USB bridge that exposes a USB-connected Brother QL label printer on the network, making it compatible with network-based printing tools like InvenTree's Brother plugin.
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## What It Does
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- Listens on TCP port 9100 (standard raw printing port)
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- Receives print jobs from network clients
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- Forwards the raw Brother raster data to a USB-connected QL printer
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## Supported Printers
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- QL-500, QL-550, QL-560, QL-570, QL-580N
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- QL-650TD, QL-700, QL-710W, QL-720NW
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- QL-800, QL-810W, QL-820NWB
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- QL-1050, QL-1060N
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## Raspberry Pi Deployment
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### Prerequisites
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1. Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi OS (Bookworm or later recommended)
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2. Brother QL printer connected via USB
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3. Python 3.10+
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### Step 1: Install System Dependencies
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```bash
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sudo apt update
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sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv libusb-1.0-0-dev
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```
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### Step 2: Clone the Repository
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```bash
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git clone https://github.com/timmyhadwen/brother-ql-bridge.git
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cd brother-ql-bridge
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```
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### Step 3: Setup Python Environment
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Using `uv` (recommended):
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```bash
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# Install uv if not already installed
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curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
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# Create venv and install dependencies
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cd ~/brother-ql-bridge
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uv venv
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uv pip install -r requirements.txt
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```
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Or using standard pip:
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```bash
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cd ~/brother-ql-bridge
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python3 -m venv .venv
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source .venv/bin/activate
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pip install -r requirements.txt
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```
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### Step 4: Configure USB Permissions
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Create a udev rule to allow non-root access to Brother printers:
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```bash
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sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/99-brother-ql.rules << 'EOF'
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# Brother QL label printers
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SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="04f9", MODE="0666"
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EOF
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sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
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sudo udevadm trigger
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```
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### Step 5: Test the Bridge
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```bash
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cd ~/brother-ql-bridge
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source .venv/bin/activate
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python bridge.py -v
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```
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You should see output like:
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```
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2024-12-21 16:30:00 [INFO] Found printer: QL-570
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2024-12-21 16:30:00 [INFO] USB connection established
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2024-12-21 16:30:00 [INFO] Bridge server listening on ('0.0.0.0', 9100)
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```
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### Step 6: Install as Systemd Service
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Create the service file:
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```bash
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sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/brother-ql-bridge.service << EOF
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[Unit]
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Description=Brother QL USB-to-Network Bridge
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After=network.target
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[Service]
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Type=simple
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User=$USER
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WorkingDirectory=$HOME/brother-ql-bridge
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ExecStart=$HOME/brother-ql-bridge/.venv/bin/python bridge.py
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Restart=always
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RestartSec=10
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[Install]
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WantedBy=multi-user.target
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EOF
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```
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Enable and start:
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```bash
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sudo systemctl daemon-reload
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sudo systemctl enable brother-ql-bridge
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sudo systemctl start brother-ql-bridge
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```
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Check status:
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```bash
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sudo systemctl status brother-ql-bridge
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sudo journalctl -u brother-ql-bridge -f # Follow logs
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```
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## Configuration
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Edit `config.py` to customize:
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| Setting | Default | Description |
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|---------|---------|-------------|
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| `TCP_HOST` | `0.0.0.0` | Listen address (0.0.0.0 = all interfaces) |
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| `TCP_PORT` | `9100` | TCP port for incoming print jobs |
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| `USB_DEVICE` | `None` | USB device path (None = auto-detect) |
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| `PRINTER_MODEL` | `QL-570` | Printer model for compatibility |
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| `LOG_LEVEL` | `INFO` | Logging verbosity |
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## Command Line Options
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```
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python bridge.py [-h] [-p PORT] [-H HOST] [-d DEVICE] [-v]
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Options:
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-p, --port PORT TCP port (default: 9100)
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-H, --host HOST Bind address (default: 0.0.0.0)
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-d, --device DEVICE USB device (e.g., usb://0x04f9:0x2028)
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-v, --verbose Enable debug logging
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```
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## Using with InvenTree
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Configure InvenTree's Brother label plugin with:
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- **IP Address**: Your Raspberry Pi's IP address
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- **Port**: 9100 (or your configured port)
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- **Model**: Your printer model (e.g., QL-570)
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## Troubleshooting
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### "No Brother QL printer found on USB"
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1. Check USB connection: `lsusb | grep Brother`
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2. Verify udev rules are loaded: `sudo udevadm control --reload-rules`
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3. Unplug and replug the printer
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### Permission denied errors
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Ensure udev rules are in place and you've re-plugged the printer after adding them.
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### Service won't start
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Check logs: `sudo journalctl -u brother-ql-bridge -n 50`
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### Port 9100 in use
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Either change the port in config.py or stop the conflicting service:
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```bash
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sudo lsof -i :9100
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```
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