Printer icon

Printer

Sends a binary file to a CUPS printer

Printer

AI-generated

Overview

This node sends a binary file to a CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System) printer. It is useful for automating print jobs in workflows where documents or images need to be printed directly from n8n. For example, it can be used to print invoices, reports, or labels by specifying the printer, file, and print options.

Use Case Examples

  1. Automate printing of PDF invoices to a network printer.
  2. Print images or documents received from other nodes in a workflow.
  3. Send multiple copies or specify page ranges for printing.

Properties

Name Meaning
CUPS Server IP The IP address of the CUPS server that manages the printer.
Select Printer Select a printer from the list discovered on your CUPS server or enter the exact printer queue name.
Binary Property Name of the binary property which contains the file to print.
Options Additional print options including quantity, page range, and advanced CUPS options in JSON format.

Output

JSON

  • success - Indicates if the print command was successful.
  • output - Output message from the print command.
  • error - Error message if the print command failed.

Dependencies

  • Requires the 'cups-client' package to be installed in the n8n environment.
  • Requires access to a CUPS server and printer configured on the network.

Troubleshooting

  • If you encounter 'The printer or class does not exist' error, you may need to configure your CUPS client as per the README instructions.
  • Ensure the CUPS server IP and printer name are correct and accessible from the n8n environment.
  • Advanced CUPS options must be valid JSON; invalid JSON will cause an error.
  • Print command failures will return error messages with the failure code and details.

Discussion