It’s no secret that thermal receipt printers can print way more than receipts, however this Raspberry Pi mission, created by a maker referred to as -PJFry- on Reddit, has taken the thought to a brand new excessive. With the assistance of a Raspberry Pi Zero, they’ve coded an software to print enormous, poster-sized photographs (opens in new tab) one strip at a time on their thermal printer.
Inspiration for this mission got here from comparable on-line tasks the place customers print large-scale photographs utilizing common printers or thermal printers just like the one used on this mission. On this case, nonetheless, -PJFry- coded the mission software from scratch to work on the Pi Zero. It really works by taking a picture and breaking it into items that match throughout the width of the receipt printer and printing it one strip at a time. Then, these strips might be lined as much as create a full-sized picture.
It’s the solely microelectronics mission we will discover that -PJFry- has shared, however it’s clear they’ve an awesome understanding of our favourite SBC to craft one thing this artistic from scratch. In line with -PJFry-, the mission wasn’t created for effectivity however extra for enjoyable as a proof of idea. The result’s thrilling and offers a creative tackle the Raspberry Pi’s potential.
Within the mission thread, -PJFry- explains {that a} basic thermal printer was chosen to drive this mission however insists that every other thermal printer ought to do for anybody seeking to make their model of the mission. Moreover, -PJFry- selected to make use of a Raspberry Pi Zero; nonetheless, there isn’t a cause this wouldn’t work for one more mannequin like a 3B+ or Pi 4.
Controlling the thermal printer required utilizing a Python library referred to as python-escpos, obtainable on GitHub (opens in new tab). -PJFry- developed the code for the large picture printing software however, as of writing, shouldn’t be publically obtainable. Though, yow will discover comparable creations across the web for inspiration which is how this one was created.
If you wish to recreate this Raspberry Pi mission or get a more in-depth have a look at the way it goes collectively, try the unique mission thread shared on Reddit (opens in new tab). You’ll want to comply with -PJFry- for future tasks and any updates on this one.
