ESCPOS

Python library to manipulate ESC/POS Printers, now for python > 3

1. Dependencies

In order to start getting access to your printer, you must ensure you have previously installed the following python modules:

• pyusb (python-usb)
• Pillow

2. Description

Python ESC/POS is a library which lets the user have access to all those printers handled by ESC/POS commands, as defined by Epson, from a Python application.

The standard usage is send raw text to the printer, but in also helps the user to enhance the experience with those printers by facilitating the bar code printing in many different standards, as well as manipulating images so they can be printed as brand logo or any other usage images migh have.

Text can be aligned/justified and fonts can be changed by size, type and weight.

Also, this module handles some hardware functionalities like, cut paper, carrier return, printer reset and others concerned to the carriage alignment.

3. Define your printer

Before start create your Python ESC/POS printer instance, you must see at your system for the printer parameters. This is done with the 'lsusb' command.

First run the command to look for the "Vendor ID" and "Product ID", then write down the values, these values are displayed just before the name of the device with the following format:

xxxx:xxxx

Example:

Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1a2b:1a2b Device name

Write down the the values in question, then issue the following command so you can get the "Interface" number and "End Point"

lsusb -vvv -d xxxx:xxxx | grep iInterface
lsusb -vvv -d xxxx:xxxx | grep bEndpointAddress | grep OUT

The first command will yields the "Interface" number that must be handy to have and the second yields the "Output Endpoint" address.

By default the "Interface" number is "0" and the "Output Endpoint" address is "0x82", if you have other values then you can define with your instance.

4. Define your instance

The following example shows how to initialize the Epson TM-TI88IV

NOTE: Always finish the sequence with Epson.cut() otherwise you will endup with weird chars being printed. .. code:: python

from escposprinter import *

Epson = printer.Usb(0x04b8,0x0202)
Epson.text('Hello World')
Epson.cut()

or use with statement:

.. code:: python

            import datetime

    from escposprinter import *
    from escposprinter.escpos import EscposIO, Escpos

    printerAddress = '192.168.0.196'
    printerPort = 9100

    def checkPrinterAlive():
        if (printer.Network.isAlive(printerAddress, printerPort)):
            return True
        else:
            raise Exception ("Host is unreachable, socket communication was not opened")

    if (checkPrinterAlive()):
        string = str("String: " + str(datetime.datetime.now().microsecond))
        for iteration in range(30):
            with EscposIO(printer.Network(printerAddress, printerPort)) as p:
                p.set(font='a', codepage='cp1251', size='normal', align='center', bold=True)
                p.writelines('LOGO')
                p.printer.nvRamImage()
                #p.printer.image('IMAGE PATH')
                p.writelines('')
                p.writelines('')
                p.writelines('')
                p.writelines('')

# After exit of with, printer will cut the paper

NOTE: Starting from 3.3 version of this package, we have introduced the "isAlive" method, which must be used before opening the connection to check if the printer with specified host and port is alive or not.

This method was implemented for both platforms: Linux and Windows

5. API

• Escpos() - main class

• Escpos.image(path_img) - Open image file

• Escpos.nvRamImage() - Prints a previously downloaded (by third party specific tools) images from NVRAM (It allows to select the image to print and set the print image width options), by defaults it prints the first image in memory with the original dimensions

• Escpos.qr(text, *args, **kwargs) - Print QR Code for the provided string

• Escpos.barcode(code, bc, width, height, pos, font) - Print Barcode

• Escpos.text(text) - Print any text

• Escpos.set(codepage=None, **kwargs) - kwargs should be:

  • bold: set bold font
  • underline: underline text
  • size: Text size
  • font: Font type
  • align: Text position
  • inverted: White on black text
  • color: Text color

• Escpos.cut() - Cut the paper

• Escpos.cashdraw(pin) - Send open cashdraw signal to printer pin.

• Escpos.control() and Escpos.hw() - Should be use it when you want to do another operations.

• EscposIO(printer, autocut=True, autoclose=True) - class for using with 'with' statement. When autocut=False printer not cut the paper after exit of "with".

• EscposIO.set(**kwargs) - set the params in printing stream

  • bold: set bold font
  • underline: underline text
  • size: Text size
  • font: Font type
  • align: Text position
  • inverted: White on black text
  • color: Text color

• EscposIO.writelines(text, **params) - Accept params like "set", and apply them for this lines. You should use set() for setting common params.

6. Links

Original Authors:

• Manuel F Martinez manpaz@bashlinux.com
• Dmitry Orlov me@mosquito.su

This repo developer:

• Fardella Simone fardella93@gmail.com