PrinterOne 🖨️

A comprehensive TCP network print server with integrated GUI management and system tray support for Windows.

⚠️ Quick Fix: If server starts but clients can't connect, check if port 9100 is blocked by firewall. Consider using SimpleWall for easy firewall management.

Copyright (c) 2025 xtieume@gmail.com
GitHub: https://github.com/xtieume/PrinterOne

✨ Features

• 🖨️ TCP Network Print Server - Receives raw print data over TCP and sends to local printer
• 🖥️ Modern GUI Interface - Easy-to-use graphical interface with tabbed layout
• 🔧 System Tray Integration - Minimize to tray and control from system tray menu
• 🚀 Windows Auto-Start - Add to Windows startup for automatic server launch
• 🧪 Built-in Test Client - Test connections and send sample print jobs
• 📊 Real-time Logging - Comprehensive logging with emoji indicators for easy reading
• ⚙️ Configuration Management - Persistent settings stored in JSON format
• 🔥 Port Management - Automatic port conflict resolution
• 🌐 Network Discovery - Shows local IP addresses for easy client configuration

🎯 Use Cases

• Network Printing: Share local printers over TCP network
• Raw Data Printing: Print raw data from applications, scripts, or devices
• Legacy System Integration: Bridge old systems to modern printers
• Print Server: Centralized printing solution for small networks

📋 Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• Python 3.9+ (for development)
• Local printer installed

🚀 Quick Start

Option 1: Download Pre-built Executable (Recommended)

1. Download the latest PrinterOne.exe from Releases
2. Run PrinterOne.exe gui
3. Select your printer and configure settings
4. Click "Start Server"
5. ⚠️ Important: If clients can't connect, check firewall settings (see Troubleshooting)

Option 2: Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/xtieume/PrinterOne.git
cd PrinterOne

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Build executable
python build.py

# Run the executable
dist/PrinterOne.exe gui

⚠️ Network Connectivity Requirements

For network printing to work properly:

• Port 9100 must be accessible on your network
• Firewall should allow PrinterOne.exe
• Some minimal Windows builds may require manual firewall configuration
• Consider using SimpleWall for easy firewall management

🖥️ Usage Modes

GUI Mode (Recommended)

PrinterOne.exe gui

• Full graphical interface
• System tray integration
• Real-time logging
• Built-in test client

Console Mode

PrinterOne.exe

• Command-line interface
• Suitable for servers or automated deployments

Test Client Mode

PrinterOne.exe test

• Interactive connection testing
• Send test print jobs

⚙️ Configuration

The application uses config.json for persistent settings:

{
    "printer_name": "Canon MF220 Series",
    "port": 9100,
    "auto_start": false,
    "service_name": "PrinterOne",
    "service_description": "PrinterOne - Network print server for raw print data",
    "manual": true,
    "minimize_to_tray": true
}

Configuration Options

Option	Type	Description
printer_name	string	Target printer name (from Windows printer list)
port	integer	TCP port to listen on (default: 9100)
auto_start	boolean	Start server automatically
minimize_to_tray	boolean	Minimize to system tray when closing

🌐 Network Usage

Once the server is running, other machines can send print jobs to:

YOUR_IP_ADDRESS:9100

Example using netcat:

echo "Hello World" | nc YOUR_IP_ADDRESS 9100

Example using Python:

import socket

def send_to_printer(data, host='192.168.1.100', port=9100):
    with socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM) as s:
        s.connect((host, port))
        s.send(data.encode())

send_to_printer("Test print job")

� Windows Firewall & Network Security

Firewall Configuration (Important!)

PrinterOne requires port 9100 to be accessible for network printing. If clients can't connect after starting the server, follow these steps:

Method 1: Using SimpleWall (Recommended)

SimpleWall is a lightweight firewall manager that makes configuration easy:

1. Download SimpleWall: Visit https://github.com/henrypp/simplewall
2. Install and run SimpleWall
3. Add PrinterOne.exe to the allowed applications list
4. Enable network access for PrinterOne
5. Allow port 9100 for incoming connections

Method 2: Windows Firewall Manual Configuration

# Run as Administrator
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "PrinterOne Port 9100" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 9100 -Action Allow

Method 3: Windows Firewall GUI

1. Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security
2. Click Inbound Rules → New Rule
3. Select Port → TCP → Specific Local Ports: 9100
4. Allow the connection → Apply to all profiles
5. Name the rule "PrinterOne Port 9100"

Common Network Issues

• Minimal Windows builds (Windows 10/11 LTSC, custom builds) may have restrictive default firewall settings
• Corporate networks may block port 9100 by policy
• Antivirus software may interfere with network connections
• Virtual machines may require additional network configuration

�🔧 Advanced Features

System Tray Integration

• Right-click tray icon for quick actions
• Start/stop server from tray menu
• Show/hide main window
• Minimize to tray on close

Auto-Start Configuration

• Add to Windows startup registry
• Auto-start with configured printer
• Background operation support

Logging System

• Real-time logging with emoji indicators
• Automatic log rotation (30-day retention)
• Separate test client logging
• File-based logging for debugging

🛠️ Development

Project Structure

PrinterOne/
├── server.py          # Main application
├── build.py           # Build script
├── requirements.txt   # Python dependencies
├── config.json        # Configuration file
├── PrinterOne.spec    # PyInstaller spec
├── assets/           # Assets folder
│   └── screenshot.png # Application screenshot
├── dist/             # Built executables
└── logs/             # Application logs

Building

# Install development dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Build executable
python build.py

# Clean build
python build.py --clean

Dependencies

• pywin32 - Windows API integration
• pystray - System tray support
• Pillow - Image processing
• psutil - Process management
• pyinstaller - Executable packaging

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Q: Server starts but clients can't connect to port 9100
A: ⚠️ IMPORTANT: Check if port 9100 is publicly accessible. Some minimal Windows builds may have restrictive firewall settings that block the port.

Solution: Install a firewall manager like SimpleWall to properly allow port 9100:

1. Download and install SimpleWall
2. Add PrinterOne.exe to allowed applications
3. Ensure port 9100 is open for incoming connections
4. Alternative: Use Windows Firewall to create an inbound rule for port 9100

Q: Tray icon not visible
A: Check Windows notification area settings to show PrinterOne icon.

Q: Port already in use
A: The server automatically kills conflicting processes. Check if another service is using port 9100.

Q: Printer not found
A: Ensure the printer is installed and accessible from Windows. Use exact printer name from Windows printer list.

Firewall Configuration

For proper network printing, ensure:

• Inbound: Port 9100 TCP is open
• Application: PrinterOne.exe is allowed through firewall
• Network: Windows network discovery is enabled (optional)

Debug Mode

Enable verbose logging by running:

PrinterOne.exe gui --debug

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

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

📞 Support

• 🐛 Bug Reports: GitHub Issues
• 💡 Feature Requests: GitHub Issues
• 📧 Email: xtieume@gmail.com

⭐ Show Your Support

If this project helped you, please consider giving it a ⭐ on GitHub!

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Made with ❤️ by xtieume