https://github.com/rbaron/catprinter

🐱🖨
https://github.com/rbaron/catprinter

Last synced: about 1 month ago
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🐱🖨

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/rbaron/catprinter
• Owner: rbaron
• License: mit
• Created: 2021-08-14T07:26:18.000Z (over 3 years ago)
• Default Branch: main
• Last Pushed: 2024-08-27T07:54:44.000Z (4 months ago)
• Last Synced: 2024-08-27T22:15:24.883Z (4 months ago)
• Language: Python
• Size: 4.7 MB
• Stars: 737
• Watchers: 6
• Forks: 53
• Open Issues: 9
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE

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• starred - rbaron/catprinter - 🐱🖨 (Python)

README

        
![Cat Printer](./media/hackoclock.jpg)

Cat printer is a portable thermal printer sold on AliExpress for around $20.

This repository contains Python code for talking to the cat printer over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The code has been reverse engineered from the [official Android app](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.frogtosea.iprint&hl=en_US&gl=US).

# Installation

```bash

# Clone the repository.

$ git clone [email protected]:rbaron/catprinter.git

$ cd catprinter

# Create a virtualenv on venv/ and activate it.

$ virtualenv --python=python3 venv

$ source venv/bin/activate

# Install requirements from requirements.txt.

$ pip install -r requirements.txt

```

# Usage

```bash

$ ./print.py --help

usage: print.py [-h] [-l {debug,info,warn,error}] [-b {mean-threshold,floyd-steinberg,atkinson,halftone,none}] [-s] [-d DEVICE] [-e ENERGY]

                filename

prints an image on your cat thermal printer

positional arguments:

  filename

options:

  -h, --help            show this help message and exit

  -l {debug,info,warn,error}, --log-level {debug,info,warn,error}

  -b {mean-threshold,floyd-steinberg,atkinson,halftone,none}, --img-binarization-algo {mean-threshold,floyd-steinberg,atkinson,halftone,none}

                        Which image binarization algorithm to use. If 'none' is used, no binarization will be used. In this case the image has to

                        have a width of 384 px.

  -s, --show-preview    If set, displays the final image and asks the user for confirmation before printing.

  -d DEVICE, --device DEVICE

                        The printer's Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) address (MAC address on Linux; UUID on macOS) or advertisement name (e.g.:

                        "GT01", "GB02", "GB03"). If omitted, the the script will try to auto discover the printer based on its advertised BLE

                        services.

  -e ENERGY, --energy ENERGY

                        Thermal energy. Between 0x0000 (light) and 0xffff (darker, default).

```

# Example

```bash

% ./print.py --show-preview test.png

⏳ Applying Floyd-Steinberg dithering to image...

✅ Done.

ℹ️ Displaying preview.

🤔 Go ahead with print? [Y/n]?

✅ Read image: (42, 384) (h, w) pixels

✅ Generated BLE commands: 2353 bytes

⏳ Looking for a BLE device named GT01...

✅ Got it. Address: 09480C21-65B5-477B-B475-C797CD0D6B1C: GT01

⏳ Connecting to 09480C21-65B5-477B-B475-C797CD0D6B1C: GT01...

✅ Connected: True; MTU: 104

⏳ Sending 2353 bytes of data in chunks of 101 bytes...

✅ Done.

```

# Different Algorithms

**Mean Threshold:**

![Mean threshold](./media/grumpymeanthreshold.png)

**Floyd Steinberg (default):**

![Floyd Steinberg](./media/grumpyfloydsteinbergexample.png)

**Atkinson:**

![Atkinson](./media/grumpyatkinsonexample.png)

**Halftone dithering:**

![Halftone](./media/grumpyhalftone.png)

**None (image must be 384px wide):**

![None](./media/grumpynone.png)