QL-800 red blinking light when print issued

[jmcwhirter]

• Model: Brother QL-800
• Hardware: Raspberry Pi B+
• OS: Raspbian GNU/Linux 9
• Connection method: USB
• The logo I want to print, as a jpg:

Setup...

1. Tried with Python 2 and 3: pip3 install --upgrade brother_ql
2. Add to path: export PATH="${PATH}:~/.local/bin"
3. Find my printer details: sudo lsusb -v
4. Constructed my PyUSB string like so: usb://0x04f9:0x209b/____

Steps I took...

1. Create bin file

   pi@raspberrypi:~ $ brother_ql_create --model "QL-800" logo.jpg --label-size 62 > logo.bin

2. Use bin file to print

   pi@raspberrypi:~ $ brother_ql_print logo.bin usb://0x04f9:0x209b/____
   deprecation warning: brother_ql.devicedependent is deprecated and will be removed in a future release
   INFO:brother_ql.backends.helpers:Sending instructions to the printer. Total: 64972 bytes.
   WARNING:brother_ql.backends.helpers:'printing completed' status not received.
   WARNING:brother_ql.backends.helpers:'waiting to receive' status not received.
   WARNING:brother_ql.backends.helpers:Printing potentially not successful?

3. red light blinks...
4. Try to run analyse to simulate what the printer is going to get and render:

   pi@raspberrypi:~ $ brother_ql_analyse logo.bin --loglevel DEBUG

5. Reviewed output from analyse execution and things look good.
6. I even get a logo as a result of the analyse process, as a png
7. I try to run the debug command to see if there is any extra information.

   pi@raspberrypi:~ $ brother_ql_debug logo.bin usb://0x04f9:0x209b/____
   deprecation warning: brother_ql.devicedependent is deprecated and will be removed in a future release
   INFO: CMD mode setting FOUND. Instruction: 1B 69 61 01 
   INFO: CMD preamble FOUND. Instruction: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [...] 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 
   INFO: CMD init FOUND. Instruction: 1B 40 
   INFO: CMD mode setting FOUND. Instruction: 1B 69 61 01 
   INFO: CMD status request FOUND. Instruction: 1B 69 53 
   INFO: Response from the device: 80 20 42 34 38 30 00 00 00 00 3E 0A 00 00 23 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 81 00 00 00 00 00 00
   INFO: Interpretation of the response: 'Reply to status request' (phase: Waiting to receive), 'Continuous length tape' 62x0 mm^2, errors: []
   INFO: CMD media/quality FOUND. Instruction: 1B 69 7A CE 0A 3E 00 B8 02 00 00 00 00 
   INFO: CMD various FOUND. Instruction: 1B 69 4D 40 
   INFO: CMD cut-every FOUND. Instruction: 1B 69 41 01 
   INFO: CMD expanded FOUND. Instruction: 1B 69 4B 08 
   INFO: CMD margins FOUND. Instruction: 1B 69 64 23 00 
   INFO: CMD raster FOUND. Instruction: 67 00 5A 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 [...] 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 
   INFO: Response from the device: 80 20 42 34 38 30 00 00 00 00 3E 0A 00 00 23 00 00 00 06 01 00 00 00 00 00 81 00 00 00 00 00 00
   INFO: Interpretation of the response: 'Phase change' (phase: Printing state), 'Continuous length tape' 62x0 mm^2, errors: []
   INFO: CMD print FOUND. Instruction: 1A 
   INFO: Response from the device: 80 20 42 34 38 30 00 00 00 00 3E 0A 00 00 23 00 00 00 02 01 00 00 00 00 00 81 00 00 00 00 00 24
   INFO: Interpretation of the response: 'Error occurred' (phase: Printing state), 'Continuous length tape' 62x0 mm^2, errors: []

8. Everything looks good until then end when there is an error in the printing phase that does not get bubbled up.

[jmcwhirter]

Update:

1. I moved the printer over to my Mac (Sierra)
2. I installed Brother's software and was able to make a badge. - SUCCESS
3. I tried to send the bin file via lp logo.bin from my Mac. Red light flashed and no print. - FAIL
4. I installed libusb and fontconfig via brew
5. I installed Brother_QL Web, but ran into a problem with the font folder. I filed an issue. - FAIL
6. I installed Brother_QL API and this worked. - AWESOME!
7. I tried to issue a print command and the red light flashed again. - FAIL

[kornpow]

I am currently just getting started with using this library with the QL-800. Currently working through the code running on a Pi 3B+, but can do some basic prints using code similar to this:

import brother_ql
from brother_ql.raster import BrotherQLRaster
from brother_ql.backends.helpers import send, discover

# Using USB connected printer 
PRINTER_IDENTIFIER = '/dev/usb/lp0'

printer = BrotherQLRaster('QL-800')
filename = "/home/pi/Documents/test.png"
print_data = brother_ql.brother_ql_create.convert(printer, [filename], '39x90', dither=True)
send(print_data, PRINTER_IDENTIFIER)

Make sure the "Editor Lite" button is not active, for me it won't show up on USB with that on. Maybe we can help each other with this printer! Edit: Also I get the flashing Red LED when printing too. What I do is open the top and close, and it usually prints. However the code isnt getting the message that it printed successfully, so working on that...

[clee505]

I'm on Ubuntu using Python3. Running into the same issue but when I open top and close, it does not print. Running a 17x87 label and testing with resized images. The error i'm getting is "Replace media error"

Edit: Prints fine using sako0938's code. The label was the wrong size (i measured the face of it and did not look at the actual size).

[kornpow]

I have gotten prints working on my Ubuntu PC, and on Raspberry Pi with this code. So far I need to re-initialize the printer object before every print:

import brother_ql
from brother_ql.conversion import convert
from brother_ql.raster import BrotherQLRaster
from brother_ql.backends.helpers import send, discover

# Pyusb backend
PRINTER_IDENTIFIER = discover('pyusb')[0]['instance']
# Linux Backend
# PRINTER_IDENTIFIER = '/dev/usb/lp0'
# Need to create new qlr object for each print
qlr = BrotherQLRaster("QL-800")
qr_data = convert(qlr,["/home/youruser/Desktop/yourpic.png"],"29x90")
send(qr_data, PRINTER_IDENTIFIER)

Edit: The QL-800 comes with two types of tape, 62mm continues and 29mmX90mm. This code works great with the 29mm x 90mm, but I still get blinking red LED for 62mm continuous.

[jmcwhirter]

Interesting stuff! I was being too stubborn and didn't try different sized paper or the Python library. I'll have to give this a shot. Thanks for the info!!!

[mattytrentini]

Looks like you've got this sorted but I've noticed that if I try to print from P-Touch and have selected a different size print to the loaded label the same error - flashing red light - occurs.

[alistat]

Am late on this but the provided 62mm continuous tape for the QL-800 is a reb/black tape. As the command's help states, if you are printing on a red/black tape you must pass the --red flag:

--red                 Create a label to be printed on black/red/white tape
                        (only with QL-8xx series on DK-22251 labels). You must
                        use this option when printing on black/red tape, even
                        when not printing red.

So if you are using the 62mm tape that was included in the package, this flag will solve your problem.

[ashlynblack]

I had the red blinking power light, too. I was specifying the wrong label size!