UoWPrint is a modern print server created to bring wireless capabilities to older printers, scanners, and all-in-one devices.
It is designed as an easy-to-use add-on appliance and allows you to:
Contrary to older-generation print server hardware or home routers
with printer-sharing functions, UoWPrint does not require to install any
printer-specific drivers or applications on your devices but uses
universal standard drivers available in any contemporary operating
system.
The printer driver is running on the print server itself, freeing you
from installing drivers on the PC.
In other words, with UoWPrint you can use AirPrint and Mopria to print and scan over the network on your USB printer.
✅ Compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
✅ Compatible with MacBook M1/M2/M3/M4 (ARM)
✅ Compatible with Windows on ARM (Qualcomm Snapdragon)
UoWPrint is best compatible with older-generation consumer devices
(manufactured before the year 2018) and supports a very wide range of
ink and laser printers and scanners. However, some of the printers are
not supported well or at all.
HP devices work very well, Samsung and Xerox support is also pretty
reliable, while Canon compatibility depends on the device generation and
may be not as fast or reliable.
Check almost full list of supported devices.
The following non-exhaustive list provides a brief overview of the available drivers and popular supported models:
… and many others.
Device-specific driver is not required on every OS.
After buying used old USB-only printer, I was looking for a modern
retail print server which would allow me to use the printer as you use
the newer ones, over Wi-Fi and without drivers, but could not find
anything on the market!
Reducing e-waste, improving convenience, and re-using single-board
computers for good is the main motivation of this project.
Old printers are tend to be better than the new ones: the best mono lasers were manufactured in the year 2004-2010, that was the peak of reliable, serviceable, and cheaper to operate machines than the current retail models. They do not offer subscription service or annoying firmware updates which block third-party toner cartridges.
No Internet connection required. The device does not
use the Internet for anything besides time synchronization. No
telemetry, no automatic updates.
Secure by default. Network firewall blocks all
connections from the outside of your network. No hard-coded passwords.
IPv6 support.
Open for enthusiasts and modification. Comes with
source code and full build system of the firmware.
Reliable technical support. We sold you the print
server and it doesn’t work as intended? We’ll buy the same printer model
and debug the issue until it’s fixed!
UoWPrint is based on well-known Linux-world open source software:
All you need to start printing is plug the printer into the USB port and add it using print server web interface. The printer will be discovered on all devices on the network automatically.
The device works as Wi-Fi access point or connects to your Wi-Fi network as a client, Ethernet connection is also available. It incorporates simple web interface to configure Wi-Fi connection and printer, and scanners usually do not require special configuration and work out-of-the-box.
The operating system of the device is based on Debian 12 and has been optimized for memory constraints and fail-save appliance-like operation: power off the device by unplugging the power without worrying of data corruption, revert to factory defaults with a click of a button.
Warning: this project may not be suitable for professional printing. Due to the various quality of the drivers, the printouts may not present accurate colors or the highest quality. Some printer and scanner drivers have bugs and don’t work reliably. UoWPrint has undergone thoroughful, but limited testing. We constantly find and fix bugs in the whole printing and scanning stack (and contribute back to related projects to ensure bug-free experience for everyone), but this is best-effort low-scale holiday project, some thigs are way over our heads. Ask to check your printer support in advance by email.
UoWPrint v2 is based on OrangePi Zero 3 single-board computer. Key specifications:
| Size |
62 mm × 56 mm in acrylic case 55 mm × 50 mm the board itself |
|---|---|
| Weight | 52 g |
| CPU |
Allwinner H618 ARMv8 Cortex-A53 Quad Core, 1.5 GHz |
| RAM | 1 GiB LPDDR4 |
| Flash memory | 512 MB MicroSD card |
| USB |
1× USB 2.0 Type-A Host for printer connection 1× USB 2.0 Type-C OTG for 5V power supply and PC connection LPT printer connection possible with USB-LPT adapter cable |
| Wi-Fi |
802.11ac 2.4+5 GHz, Wi-Fi hotspot and client modes WPA2-PSK support only (no WPA3) |
| Ethernet | 100M/1G Built-in Ethernet |
| Supported standards |
Driverless printing and scanning:
|
| Features |
No internet connection required No account or subscription required No automatic updates Web-based configuration, no additional software required Comes with the source code, firmware, and free technical support |
| Operating system |
Based on Debian 12 Linux kernel 6.6 |
| Software |
OpenPrinting CUPS SANE AirSane Box86 |
What you get:
All you need is a USB-C cable and a power supply (any cellphone charger).
Price: $35 USD or 2900₽ (Russian Ruble), shipping cost not
included.
Payments using cryptocurrency (preferred), PayPal, or Russian SBP.
Order by email: uowprint@valdikss.org.ru
For each sold device, CUPS and SANE developers receive $2 donation each. The profit of selling the device is to be spent on improving open source drivers support.