CUPS — the Common Unix Printing System — is an open source print spooling and scheduling system. One of the interesting aspects of CUPS is its filtering system, which can reconstitute print job data between formats. For example, rasterizing PDF graphics for output on non-PostScript printers.
Turns out there’s a CUPS filter for thermal printers similar to those Adafruit offers. With a little setup, it’s possible to have these producing razor-sharp graphics unlike anything I’ve seen from a thermal receipt printer before. Much nicer than our improvised Python library!
This guide is based on a tutorial by Stewart Russell, with some changes and additions to work with Adafruit’s various thermal printers.
Eink, E-paper, Think Ink – Collin shares six segments pondering the unusual low-power display technology that somehow still seems a bit sci-fi – http://adafruit.com/thinkink
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
