Flask CUPS Printer Application

This Docker image provides a Flask web application that allows users to upload files and print them using a network printer via CUPS (Common Unix Printing System). The printer is configured via the IPP protocol (Internet Printing Protocol).

Features

• File Upload: Supports pdf, txt, jpg, jpeg, and png formats.
• Network Printing: Print files to a network printer using IPP.
• Environment Variable Support: Customize printer name and IP address via environment variables.
• CUPS Integration: Manages print jobs through CUPS within the Docker container.

Python Package Usage

This repository is now a standard Python package using a pyproject.toml and src layout.

Install locally:

pip install ./python

Run the web app:

web-print

List printers (or print a file) from CLI:

web-print-printers
web-print-printers --print-file /path/to/file.pdf --printer "Printer_Name"

How to Use

Step 1: Pull the Docker Image

You can pull the image from Docker Hub using the following command:

docker pull <your-dockerhub-username>/cups-flask-printer:latest

Step 2: Run the Docker Container

Run the container with default printer configuration:

docker run -d -p 5000:5000 <your-dockerhub-username>/cups-flask-printer

This command will:

• Launch the Flask web application on port 5000.
• Automatically configure a network printer with the default IPP protocol at ipp://10.25.0.218/ipp/print.

Step 3: Access the Web Application

Once the container is running, open a web browser and navigate to:

http://localhost:5000

You can upload files through the web interface and print them to the configured network printer.

Customizing the Printer

If you want to override the default printer configuration (name or IP address), you can pass environment variables to the container when starting it:

docker run -d -p 5000:5000 \
  -e PRINTER_NAME="My_Printer" \
  -e PRINTER_IP="192.168.1.100" \
  <your-dockerhub-username>/cups-flask-printer

In this example:

• PRINTER_NAME: Specifies the printer name.
• PRINTER_IP: Specifies the IP address of the network printer.

Printer Configuration (Inside the Container)

The printer is automatically added to CUPS inside the container using the lpadmin command during container startup:

lpadmin -p $PRINTER_NAME -E -v ipp://$PRINTER_IP/ipp/print -m everywhere

Verify Printer Configuration

To verify that the printer has been configured inside the container, you can use the following command:

docker exec -it <container-id> lpstat -p

This will list the available printers in the container.

Example Usage

1. Upload a file (e.g., PDF) through the web interface.
2. The file will be printed using the specified network printer.

Troubleshooting

• Ensure Printer is Reachable: Verify that the printer is accessible at the specified IP address (10.25.0.218 by default).
• Check Container Logs: View the logs inside the container for any errors:

  docker logs <container-id>

• Check CUPS Status: Use the following command to verify the status of CUPS inside the container:

  docker exec -it <container-id> lpstat -r

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.