AutomaPrint

Windows REST API Print Server - Print PDFs from anywhere

Turn any Windows PC with a printer into a network print server with a simple REST API. Perfect for automating document printing from web apps, scripts, or remote systems.

Use Cases

• Web Applications - Print invoices, labels, receipts from your web app
• Workflow Automation - Integrate printing into scripts and CI/CD
• Remote Printing - Print from mobile apps or remote systems
• Label Printing - Automate shipping label printing
• Document Processing - Batch print generated documents

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🚀 Quick Start

1. Download the latest AutomaPrint.exe
2. Run the executable
3. Select your printer from the list
4. Done! Your print server is running at http://localhost:8080

Test it:

curl http://localhost:8080/health

Print a PDF:

curl -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/pdf" \
     --data-binary @document.pdf \
     http://localhost:8080/print

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📖 User Guide

User Interface

AutomaPrint features a full GUI application with system tray support.

Main Window

The application opens with a tabbed interface:

• Server Tab - Start/stop server, configure printer and port, view server logs
• Test Client Tab - Test printing with sample PDFs
• Settings Tab - Configure print settings (scaling, color, duplex), enable auto-start, and update SumatraPDF/Cloudflare
• About Tab - Version info and API documentation

System Tray

When minimized, AutomaPrint runs in your system tray:

• Double-click - Show/hide main window
• Right-click menu - Show Window, Hide Window, Start Server, Stop Server, Quit

Configuration

Access settings via the Settings tab in the main window, or the Server tab for printer/port selection

Print Settings

Setting	Options	Description
Scaling	Fit / Shrink / Original	How pages fit on paper
Color	Color / Monochrome	Color or black & white
Duplex	Single / Long Edge / Short Edge	Single or double-sided

Remote Access (Cloudflare Tunnel)

Enable remote printing from anywhere:

1. Open the Server tab
2. Check Enable Cloudflare Tunnel
3. Click Start Server
4. Copy the tunnel URL (e.g., https://xyz.trycloudflare.com)
5. Copy the API key for authentication

Print remotely:

curl -X POST \
     -H "Content-Type: application/pdf" \
     -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key" \
     --data-binary @document.pdf \
     https://xyz.trycloudflare.com/print

⚠️ Security: API keys are required when tunnel is enabled. Regenerate keys via the Server tab or Settings tab.

Configuration File

Settings are stored in %USERPROFILE%\AutomaPrint\config.json

{
  "printer_name": "HP LaserJet Pro",
  "port": 8080,
  "auto_start": true,
  "minimize_to_tray": true,
  "print_scaling": "shrink",
  "print_color": "color",
  "print_duplex": "simplex",
  "use_tunnel": false,
  "api_key": "auto-generated-uuid"
}

Auto-Start with Windows

Enable in the Settings tab → Auto-start with Windows

AutomaPrint will:

• Start minimized to system tray
• Automatically launch the print server
• Use your saved configuration

Troubleshooting

Printer Not Found

• Ensure printer is installed and online
• Check printer name matches exactly (case-sensitive)
• Restart AutomaPrint

Port Already in Use

• Change port in Settings (default: 8080)
• Check if another application is using the port

PDF Not Printing

• Verify PDF file is valid
• Check SumatraPDF downloaded (in %USERPROFILE%\AutomaPrint\)
• Test with the included blank.pdf

Firewall Blocking

Add firewall exception:

1. Windows Security → Firewall
2. Allow an app through firewall
3. Add AutomaPrint.exe

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💻 Developer Guide

API Reference

Health Check

GET /health

Response:

{
  "status": "ok",
  "printer": "HP LaserJet Pro",
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

Print PDF

POST /print
Content-Type: application/pdf

[PDF binary data]

Optional Query Parameters:

• printer - Override default printer

Headers (when tunnel enabled):

• X-API-Key - Authentication key

Response:

{
  "status": "success",
  "message": "Print job sent successfully"
}

Error Response:

{
  "status": "error",
  "error": "Printer not found"
}

Architecture

graph TB
    A[Client Application] -->|HTTP POST| B[AutomaPrint Server]
    B -->|Download if missing| C[SumatraPDF]
    B -->|Print Command| C
    C -->|Win32 API| D[Windows Print Spooler]
    D --> E[Physical Printer]

    F[Cloudflare Tunnel] -.->|Optional| B
    F -->|HTTPS + API Key| G[Remote Client]

    style B fill:#4CAF50
    style C fill:#2196F3
    style F fill:#FF9800

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Integration Examples

Python

import requests

with open('document.pdf', 'rb') as f:
    response = requests.post(
        'http://localhost:8080/print',
        data=f,
        headers={'Content-Type': 'application/pdf'}
    )
    print(response.json())

JavaScript (Node.js)

const fs = require('fs');
const axios = require('axios');

const pdf = fs.readFileSync('document.pdf');

axios.post('http://localhost:8080/print', pdf, {
  headers: {'Content-Type': 'application/pdf'}
}).then(res => console.log(res.data));

PHP

$pdf = file_get_contents('document.pdf');

$ch = curl_init('http://localhost:8080/print');
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $pdf);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ['Content-Type: application/pdf']);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;

Building from Source

Requirements:

• Python 3.11+
• Windows OS

Setup:

git clone https://github.com/ksi-digital/automaprint.git
cd automaprint

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run in development
python main.py

# Build executable
python build.py

Output: dist/AutomaPrint.exe

Development Commands

# Run GUI (default)
python main.py

# Run server only (no GUI)
python main.py server

# Show help
python main.py --help

Dependencies

Auto-Downloaded (Runtime):

• SumatraPDF - PDF rendering engine
• cloudflared - Cloudflare tunnel client (optional)

Python Packages:

• Flask - REST API framework
• pywin32 - Windows API
• pystray - System tray
• Pillow - Image processing

See requirements.txt for versions.

Release Process

Create a new release by tagging:

git tag v1.0.0
git push origin v1.0.0

GitHub Actions will automatically:

• Build Windows executable
• Create GitHub release
• Attach .exe and .zip files

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📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file.

Free to use, modify, and distribute.

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing)
3. Commit changes (git commit -m 'Add feature')
4. Push to branch (git push origin feature/amazing)
5. Open Pull Request

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🐛 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions

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👤 Author

KSI Digital

• Website: ksi-digital.com
• GitHub: @ksi-digital

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• SumatraPDF - Lightweight PDF viewer
• Cloudflare - Tunnel infrastructure