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Question, why the printers cannot act like web servers? Just receive a REST api request and then proceed to do their own thing (aka drive the printer to execute

Question, why the printers cannot act like web servers? Just receive a REST api request and then proceed to do their own thing (aka drive the printer to execute the request). Why my computer needs to know how to operate the printer?

pjmlp 3y ago
This is basically how Laserprints with Postcript work, UNIX classical printing was nothing more than sending a Postscript file over the network to the printer, turns out not everyone wants to pay the prices they usually have.
alt227 3y ago
Some problems arise when users print large high resolution images. Printers often dont have the buffer to store it all and so it needs to be sent in chunks/streams etc. There are other examples this is just one.
- whatever1 3y ago
  So basically the blocker is the cost of having a processor and sufficient memory in the printer? Judging from the smartphones the bom of that would be like less than $10? I saw that a Motorola g play smartphone with MT6765 and 3gb of ram is <$70.
  - coder543 3y ago
    If the recent revelations in the Epic vs Google court case are anything to go by, Motorola is likely getting paid by Google for every single Google search and Google Play Store transaction that occurs on that phone. It could even be sold at a loss. I don't think pointing at a low-cost smartphone is a very useful point of reference given that context. However, I think there are plenty of Linux SBCs (single board computers) that have 4GB of RAM for around $50, just no screen, GPS, cellular modem, cameras, speakers... all sorts of things that add cost to a cell phone. $10 is a far-fetched claim, in my opinion, and citations are needed. The Pi Zero 2W is $15 and only has 512MB of RAM. So, sure, let's go with $50. Have you considered how cheap printers are? I see multiple inkjet printers on Amazon that cost $59. Adding $50 would nearly double the price of the unit. Other manufacturers would eat their lunch, so you can see why no one is rushing to offer a $59 printer with an additional $50 worth of computer built in. Even if it were "only" $25 extra, that is still significant. At the higher end, printers do start to include more of everything, but those aren't the printers the average consumer is buying.
    - whatever1 3y ago
      MTK6765V is $9.9 [1] 3GB LPDDR3 is $10 [2] [1] https://www.martview.com/mtk-cpu-mt6765v-cb-1839-amsh-btpkvx80-cb-ic-new.html https://www.martview.com/mtk-cpu-mt6765v-cb-1839-amsh-btpkvx... [2] https://tinyurl.com/5zretykj https://tinyurl.com/5zretykj Plus I doubt that a printer needs that much memory or strong cpu to print.
      - coder543 3y ago
        Two components do not make a product. The SBC market is a better litmus test for the real costs. There is plenty of competition making products of all kinds.
dvdkon 3y ago
That's what IPP and IPP Everywhere does, and as far as I know, most modern printers support it, even using it over USB. IIRC it only specifies a common set of print options, so you might need a driver for anything more, but basic printing should "just work".
merb 3y ago
Some printers do that. Xerox uses their own wsprintwwhich uses http. Why they use their own thing instead of ipp, I have no idea… macOS uses ipp if the printer supports it. Maybe ipp is not workin well over usb
izacus 3y ago
This is literally what's proposed here. The keyword is "Driverless printing" or in some contexts "IPP". But sometimes that's not quite enough, the world of hardware is complex. Not every printer is your office Letter sized paper spewing box.

pjmlp 3y ago

This is basically how Laserprints with Postcript work, UNIX classical printing was nothing more than sending a Postscript file over the network to the printer, turns out not everyone wants to pay the prices they usually have.

alt227 3y ago

Some problems arise when users print large high resolution images. Printers often dont have the buffer to store it all and so it needs to be sent in chunks/streams etc. There are other examples this is just one.

whatever1 3y ago
So basically the blocker is the cost of having a processor and sufficient memory in the printer? Judging from the smartphones the bom of that would be like less than $10? I saw that a Motorola g play smartphone with MT6765 and 3gb of ram is <$70.
- coder543 3y ago
  If the recent revelations in the Epic vs Google court case are anything to go by, Motorola is likely getting paid by Google for every single Google search and Google Play Store transaction that occurs on that phone. It could even be sold at a loss. I don't think pointing at a low-cost smartphone is a very useful point of reference given that context. However, I think there are plenty of Linux SBCs (single board computers) that have 4GB of RAM for around $50, just no screen, GPS, cellular modem, cameras, speakers... all sorts of things that add cost to a cell phone. $10 is a far-fetched claim, in my opinion, and citations are needed. The Pi Zero 2W is $15 and only has 512MB of RAM. So, sure, let's go with $50. Have you considered how cheap printers are? I see multiple inkjet printers on Amazon that cost $59. Adding $50 would nearly double the price of the unit. Other manufacturers would eat their lunch, so you can see why no one is rushing to offer a $59 printer with an additional $50 worth of computer built in. Even if it were "only" $25 extra, that is still significant. At the higher end, printers do start to include more of everything, but those aren't the printers the average consumer is buying.
  - whatever1 3y ago
    MTK6765V is $9.9 [1] 3GB LPDDR3 is $10 [2] [1] https://www.martview.com/mtk-cpu-mt6765v-cb-1839-amsh-btpkvx80-cb-ic-new.html https://www.martview.com/mtk-cpu-mt6765v-cb-1839-amsh-btpkvx... [2] https://tinyurl.com/5zretykj https://tinyurl.com/5zretykj Plus I doubt that a printer needs that much memory or strong cpu to print.
    - coder543 3y ago
      Two components do not make a product. The SBC market is a better litmus test for the real costs. There is plenty of competition making products of all kinds.

dvdkon 3y ago

That's what IPP and IPP Everywhere does, and as far as I know, most modern printers support it, even using it over USB. IIRC it only specifies a common set of print options, so you might need a driver for anything more, but basic printing should "just work".

merb 3y ago

Some printers do that. Xerox uses their own wsprintwwhich uses http. Why they use their own thing instead of ipp, I have no idea… macOS uses ipp if the printer supports it. Maybe ipp is not workin well over usb

izacus 3y ago

This is literally what's proposed here. The keyword is "Driverless printing" or in some contexts "IPP". But sometimes that's not quite enough, the world of hardware is complex. Not every printer is your office Letter sized paper spewing box.