[ic] Linux label printers

Grant emailgrant at gmail.com
Mon Jan 17 21:45:23 EST 2005


> > > > I'm planning on switching from Windows and its USPS and FedEx shipping
> > > > software to Linux and IC for my shipping workstation.  I'm hoping to
> > > > use some of the tags posted to the list to be able to print USPS and
> > > > FedEx shipping labels, but I'm having trouble finding a thermal label
> > > > printer that will work in Linux.  Does anyone have a recommendation?
> > > >
> > > > Also, if anyone is interested in a Zebra LP 2844 that works great in
> > > > Windows but I can't get to work in Linux, let me know.  A few rolls of
> > > > labels too.
> > > >
> > > > - Grant
> > > >
> > >
> > >    If you really want to get rid of it I'll take it for sure, but that is
> > > exactly what
> > > I use for printing FedEx labels.  I have it connected via the serial port
> > > and do
> > > an open of file and printer, write file to printer and close.  The file is
> > > a PNG
> > > image returned from FedEx.  Here is the Perl code I have which I'm sure
> > > can be improved upon
> > >
> > >   open (PNG, $labelFile) or die "Could not open PNG file $!";
> > >   open (ZEBRA, ">/dev/ttyS0") or die "Could not open serial port $!";
> > >     my $line = '';
> > >     $line = <PNG>;
> > >     while ($line) {
> > >     print ZEBRA $line;
> > >       # This will send it to the Zebra printer print ZEBRA $line;
> > >       $line = <PNG>;
> > >     }
> > >
> > >   close(PNG);
> > >   close(ZEBRA);
> > >
> > > Does anyone use this printer for printing USPS labels and if so what
> > > format
> > > of file do you write to the printer ?
> > >
> > > Jon
> >
> > Hello Jon and Brian, I'm finally ready to test printing USPS labels to
> > this Zebra on a Linux system.  The USPS docs:
> >
> > http://www.usps.com/webtools/htm/Delivery-Confirmation.htm
> >
> > tell me that the XML data I'm seeing USPS return for the label itself
> > is Base64-encoded in TIF.  Jon, have you had any luck getting your
> > Zebra to print one of these USPS labels?
> >
> > - Grant
> >
> > P.S. I was planning on setting up FedEx Ground printing like this
> > also, but they can't get up my hill so pickups won't work.  I'll be
> > opening a UPS account and setting up this type of shipping with them.
> > Has anyone set up UPS/IC shipping before?
> 
> Grant I have not.  I sent an email to USPS requesting a sample image that I
> could test printing to the Zebra but they have not sent me anything. If you
> have a sample image you can send me I'll give it a try.  I'll be out next week
> so wont be able to get to it until the following week if that is ok.
> 
> Unfortunate you can't use FedEx... The Business::FedEx::DirectConnect module
> is great and made everything possible.  Not sure if the same is available for
> either
> UPS or USPS.
> 
> Jon

Hi Jon,

The USPS usertag is looking pretty easy.  I was able to use a lot of
code from my eBay usertags.  By the way, I've been offered webspace to
post my eBay tags online by 2 or 3 people.  I'm really sorry I haven't
gotten to it yet.  My business has reached a very precarious point of
high-growth/high-stress and I'm way beyond busy.  I promise I will get
to it.

But anyway, I hope UPS is as straightforward as USPS.  I'm happy to
donate what I have once it's done.  I could put them online with the
eBay tags actually.

I've got a decoded digital TIF to print now, but I need to figure out
how to get the printer to spit it out.  I'm going to tinker with it
into the night I hope.

Please let me know if you can offer any guidance on going from a Linux
system with no printing set up, to a Linux system printing to one of
these Zebra LP 2844s from within a usertag.

- Grant


More information about the interchange-users mailing list