🖨️ PrintLe: Remote IPP Printing Application

PrintLe is a web application designed to remotely manage and send print jobs to a network IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) printer via an intermediary Node.js server. This allows for advanced print options like custom page ranges and manual double-sided printing, even if the user is on a mobile device or the printer lacks software support.

The project is split into two distinct services orchestrated by Docker Compose.

🚀 Project Structure

The project is structured into two main directories: the user-facing frontend application and the backend service that interfaces with the printer.

/Print Project
  ├── docker-compose.yml       <- Orchestrates both services
  │
  ├── /printle-web-app         (Frontend: React, Vite, Nginx)
  │   ├── src/
  │   │   ├── App.tsx          <- Main React application with UI logic
  │   │   ├── main.tsx
  │   │   └── index.css
  │   ├── index.html
  │   ├── package.json
  │   ├── Dockerfile           <- Multi-stage build
  │   └── nginx.conf           <- Nginx config for serving static files & proxying API
  │
  └── /printle-server          (Backend: Node.js, Express, IPP)
      ├── uploads/             <- Temporary storage for uploaded files
      ├── server.js            <- Main server logic (IPP, PDF processing)
      ├── package.json         <- Defines ipp, express, pdf-lib dependencies
      └── Dockerfile           <- Defines Node environment

✨ Features

Frontend (User Interface)

• Mobile & Desktop Friendly: Fully responsive design using Tailwind CSS.
• Real-time Status: Shows upload and print status.
• Print Configuration:
  • Custom Page Range: Supports standard range formats (e.g., 1-3, 5).
  • Grayscale Conversion: Sends the IPP monochrome command to the printer for reliable grayscale printing.
  • Duplex Cycling: Toggle between Off, Manual Duplex (software split with pause for flipping), and Automatic (printer hardware handles it via sides: 'two-sided-long-edge').

Backend (Server Logic)

• IPP Communication: Uses the ipp library to send print requests to the configured printer address.
• File Handling: Uses multer to securely receive and temporarily store uploaded files.
• PDF Processing (pdf-lib):
  • Filters pages based on the user's defined Page Range.
  • Splits documents into Odd and Even pages for Manual Duplex mode.

⚙️ Local Development Setup (Pre-Docker)

If you need to make changes, follow these steps to run the application outside of Docker.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v20+)
• npm
• A printer with a known IPP Address (e.g., ipp://192.168.1.50:631/printers/main)

Step 1: Frontend Setup (printle-web-app)

1. Navigate to the directory: cd printle-web-app
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Start the development server: npm run dev
   • Output will show the local IP address (e.g., http://192.168.1.X:5173).

Step 2: Backend Setup (printle-server)

1. Navigate to the directory in a new terminal window: cd printle-server
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Start the server: npm run dev (or node server.js)
   • Server will run on port 3001.

Step 3: Application Configuration

1. Access the frontend URL on your device (e.g., http://192.168.1.X:5173).
2. Go to Settings and update:
   • PrintLe Server URL: http://[Your Local IP Address]:3001 (e.g., http://10.0.0.179:3001)
   • IPP Address: The specific network address of your printer.

🐳 Docker Deployment Setup

For production use, the application should be deployed using Docker Compose.

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed on the server that is connected to the network (and can reach the IPP printer).

Deployment Steps

1. Ensure all necessary Dockerfiles (printle-web-app/Dockerfile, printle-server/Dockerfile, printle-web-app/nginx.conf) and the main docker-compose.yml file are in the correct locations by cloning the git repo.

2. In the root directory (cd printLe), execute the deployment command:

   docker compose up -d --build
   

   or

   docker-compose up -d --build
   

   Default Port for Web interface: 80