Network Dymo label printer?

I have a USB dymo printer (the tape one, not the address label one) but it ends up as a standard windows printer, so it could be shared over the LAN/WiFi to any other device on the network.

I don't think any of the printers are directly networkable, since dymo sell a separate print server for the purpose. May as well share it from your server.

Although mine runs from USB, the USB socket can't provide enough current, so it charges an internal battery. And obviously has to be used beside a computer (with the labeller software) to type in what's needed. The ability to use it on Wi-Fi doesn't seem to offer any advantage to me - if you subsequently had to plug it in to charge the battery.

That is just as good, and often better

Thanks for that Andy.

My secondary question (after if it would be sharable or not) is can any / the matching software also deal with the printer being 'remote'?

Cheers, T i m

This one looks like it is?

I could ... just that means I have to position it within a USB-cable's-length of my server rather than where it's most convenient. ;-(

If it's supported by Linux I could make a std one WiFi by sharing it off a Raspberry Pi3. ;-)

Cheers, T i m

Ok.

Ok.

Well no, other than I'm guessing it *can* function as a stand-alone but network-shared device, you could 1) position it where you like in the house (subject to it being within wireless range and near a power socket etc) and 2) anyone (on your network) can use it, even if any host / server machines are turned off?

I was thinking ahead in that my WHS only powers on when a Windows client is connected and so if there was a Dymo Android app, a truly 'stand alone' printer might still be useable.

As I mentioned elsewhere, maybe a basic USB model hanging off a Raspberry Pi3 (running Linux) could fit the bill, as long as it is easy to do as I don't know (personally) a one Linux geek that could help me.

Cheers, T i m

... as long as the host machine is on. As mentioned elsewhere ... it it were self sufficient as a network device and you could print to it from an Android tablet, that could be very handy.

So, plug it into a Pi3 and share it but is it supported by Linux?

Drivers & Downloads DYMO Label? Software v8.6, Mac® DYMO Label? Software v8.6, Windows®

Cheers, T i m

Axshully its possible to make it a 'raw' device and put the drivers for it elsewhere on e,g. the winboxen using the pi as server.

Interesting. I'll have to see if I can try it out on a mates printer before buying one myself.

Cheers, T i m

Yes, there's a CUPS driver. It's even written by Dymo:

Works on the Pi too:

That makes it a printer - you can print to it from any software. However you probably want to look around for suitable label software, since some features of label software (eg resizing text to fit the label) aren't standard on normal wordprocessors.

(The CUPS driver also avoids the pile of bloatware that is the official Dymo software)

Theo

Cool. ;-)

Nice walk through (at first glance) and I will be a good test to see just how comprehensive it is. ;-)

And from Windows, OSX and Linux OS client machines (hopefully)?

But don't Dymo offer a (Windows?) app that makes all that easy?

I'm not sure if you have already explained / answered this as I don't know enough about the workings of Linux ... but does that mean you can use the supplied Windows app to print though the Pi to the Dymo just as one would normally please Theo?

Basically I'm hoping for a 'Networked Dymo Printer' and any server solution to be transparent in use.

Cheers, T i m

I'm not sure. On a Mac it does use the usual printing system (which happens to be CUPS). I don't know if the Windows app uses the Windows printing system, or does its own thing.

The Mac app does have a 'add network printer' option, but that seems to be searching for printers - there's no way to configure a specific network printer URL that I can see.

Ah, it does seem to use standard Windows printer sharing (ch 3):

so it should be the same as adding any other shared printer (speaking IPP rather than Samba since it's being shared from CUPS).

Theo

You can buy an ethernet to USB convertor (i.e. a little box that pretends to be a computer and shares a USB printer etc on the network). I've used several and they're almost as easy as a proper network printer.

Yes, I've been using stand-alone 'print servers' [1] (and fitting JetDirect cards in HPLJ's etc) since the days of thin Ethernet but haven't used one of late or ever used a UTP > USB one (that I can remember, just to parallel).

I'm also never sure if they fully support all printers ('if it's not on the list it may not work' etc) so if I bought something like the TP-LINK TL-PS110U at ~£23 I'd be less sure of success than if I bought the genuine Dymo Print Server at around 90 quid!

That's why I think I'd be inclined to give TP-Link CS a call and see what they think the chances are and if less than positive, try the RPi solution.

Cheers, T i m

We've a few here, and it seems that if you actually want nice graphic labels (as opposed to just printing on tiny paper), you need the designer software on the client anyway, otherwise you get problems with font and margin sizes. The client software is (as you'll know) also a nice database client for things like addresses.

Agreed, assuming you are looking for an 'easy solution' (and I am).

I did set one up for someone once to be used on Windows or Mac (USB lead swap) and as you say, printing with anything than the supplied app, even those aimed at printing on labels (like postal packages) seemed very experimental / touchy.

No, I didn't know buy you sorta reminded me I may have seen the beginnings of such when I was installing for a friend. (This is the problem when being a 'hardware guy' you tend to set these things up but don't get to see what happens after that). ;-)

OOI, do you know if you can also print to the likes of a (network shared even) Dymo from Android or iOS please?

Cheers, T i m

We use ours for very specific purposes, so I've never tried Android or iOS.

I /have/ played with the JavaScript API (which is good), and it looks like there is also mobile API, but until a few minutes ago, I'd never heard of it.

And, of course, at one level, it is just another printer.

Searching for 'dymo labelwriter android' reveals that other people are finding ways of doing it :-)

Mine also saves the font and size for different projects. As well as having a ruler that allows you to space things for best fit. Can't see any reason not to use the proper software as it doesn't cost extra.