Print lines directly to Epson LX-350 Dot Matrix Printer from MacOS (rather than pages)

mac_dotmatrix.md

How to send unformatted text directly to an Epson LX-350 Dot Matrix Printer from MacOS. Useful if you want to print text line-by-line rather than page-by-page

Install Printer as a Raw printer

The backend of the MacOS printing uses the CUPS print server

1. Plug the printer in via usb
2. Open the CUPS Webpage
   1. Go to http://localhost:631/printers/
   2. If it doesn't load, type cupsctl WebInterface=yes into Terminal
   3. try again
3. Go to the Administration page http://localhost:631/admin/
4. Click Add Printer
5. Select the printer from the list and click continue
6. Give it a name like EpsonRaw (you'll need to type this on the command line) and click continue
7. Set it to Raw mode
   1. Select another Make/Model
   2. Raw. Continue
   3. Raw Queue
8. Add Printer

Print to Raw Printer From Command Line

echo "Test line" | lp -d EpsonRaw

cat textfile.txt | lp -d EpsonRaw