How to Build a Printer
A developer details the technical process of hacking an e-ink display to function as a network-connected printer. By implementing the Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) and using Bonjour for discovery, the author enabled their MacBook to send documents directly to the device.
Why it matters
This project demonstrates how open standards like IPP can be repurposed to bridge the gap between proprietary hardware and custom user workflows.
I was planning to build an e-ink display when I came across the Xteink X3 online. Somewhere in the fine print, it said the thing was fully programmable.
When it arrived, I liked how flat it was. It felt solid in my hand. I started adding things to the CrossPoint firmware: a different boot animation, dice I could roll by shaking the reader, a LinkedIn QR code for SF networking events.
But getting stuff onto it was tedious. I had to join its hotspot and open a little upload website in my browser.
While looking for a nicer way to send things to it, a thought struck me. If it looks like paper, it should act like paper.
I wanted to open something on my MacBook, press Print, and pick the Xteink. That meant finding out what my computer expected to find at the other end.
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