Programming for TSC Barcode Printer in Ubuntu

Link to manual : https://www.tscprinters.com/EN/DownloadFile/readpdf/support/4356/TSPL_TSPL2_Programming.pdf?file_type=0

The idea is to send a .prn file generated using these instructions to the printer directly. Do this by hooking the printer into CUPS,and use the CUPS -raw option to send your file to the printer, via command line, like this:

lpr -P TSC_TE244 -o raw ./barcodes.prn

If you don’t use the raw option, the barcode printer will try to print the contents of the file directly as text. We don’t want that. We want it to interpret the file and generate the barcode as per that file.

How To Install the TEC-224

1. Download the Driver from the following link: Drivers Page
2. Extract the files
3. Open the CUPS web interface, using MOZILLA FIREFOX. This is because you won’t be shown the login prompt by other browsers for some reason.
4. Click “Add Printer”
5. Make sure that the printer has been plugged into your PC’s USB port before doing this.
6. Choose the printer from the list (it should appear)
7. On the next or one of the next screens it will ask you for “Make” or a “PPD File”. The make is generally not available in the dropdown in CUPS, for this printer. We need to pick a PPD file, from the PPD folder of the files you extracted above. Find the .ppd file for the exact model of this printer, and choose it.
8. Click proceed, and the printer gets installed.
9. To test if the printer works, going to “Test Page” may not work.
10. Use the command mentioned above with a dummy .prn file, from the command line to see if it prints or not.