RetroPrinter Support

v3.20c Release

We realised that v3.20 did not install the HID and NTP libraries needed by the code to read the USB-RTC module.
v3.20b also did not include these

So, we have now generated v3.20c which includes the required libraries.

If you have v3.20 and use the USB-RTC module
You may need to use the commands:

v3.24 Release

This release is mainly to address issues with some versions of the Raspberry Pi - we have recompiled all of the software to make it work on a wider range of hardware and updated the main Linux to Raspbian Bookworm.

NEW FEATURE: option to capture data using a USB to serial lead plugged into a Raspberry Pi - you will need the software and a security dongle to use this option (please ask)

v2.35 Release

We have continued to improve some of the emulation following feedback from industrial users

- Updated EPSON emulation to cover the later Epson Stylus Photo printer codes (eg for Epson Colour Photo Printers)
- Update to allow the emulation to swap character code 0x7C (124) "|" for "/" (0x2F)
- Fixed bug where small file captures (below minimum byte setting) might cause the Retro-Printer to stop responding
- Minor speed improvements to the high resolution graphic routines
- Speed improvements to the text writing routines
- Fix issues with Delta Row High Resolution printing (and increase speed) - tested with our own ProForma high resolution printer driver for the Sinclair QL
- Added a new proportional_font configuration option to allow you to turn this on by default
- Minor changes to proportional sizes and fonts for Sans Serif / Sans Serif H

v3.26 Release

This has various changes to fix some bugs and improve conversion and is worthwhile changing to this version.

- Updated to latest Debian Raspberry Pi Operating System (Bookworm)
- Fixed bug in calculation of ESC C NULL X command (set page length to X inches)
- Retained GhostPCL v10.00.00 (v10.04.00 has issues on the Raspberry Pi).
- Improved speed of Printpcl.sh
- Added ability to convert printronix files by uploading raw files to /home/pi/data/pdf
- Fixed a bug in the merge_pdf routine
- Updated Libharu (used to create the PDF for non HP emulations to v2.4.4) - seems to improve speed
- Added /root/config/colour_mix to specify the colour mixing algorithm used to create the PNG (CMYK, RGB, MONOCHROME, GREYSCALE) - Monochrome and Greyscale are new
- Corrected an issue with the generation of a PNG as a file (output_PNG = file)
- Added /root/config/ouptut_printer = PCL to print the raw PCL / Postscript files direct to a USB printer (similar to JOB-PASSTHROUGH)
- Updated WiringPi v3.10.0 and config.txt for use on Raspberry Pi 5.
- Change to calculation of end of line for edge cases where text may wrap onto the next line
- Change to ESC I command to correct issue with some control codes which cannot be printed
- Change to handling of /root/config/serial settings as they could be ignored in some circumstances

v3.27 Release

Some minor bugs which may not be noticed by the majority of users.

- Customer Specific Changes (CSV Capture and output to HTTPS)
- Fixed potential bug when capturing more than one print job
- General source code structure improvements
- Small improvement to fix bug with v3.26
- Change to calculation of right margin for ESC Q control code (Epson and similar convertors)

v3.28 Release

The main change here has beento upgrade the WiringPi library to v3.12 to see if this helps the software on the Pi5.

Other changes implemented are specific to industrial customers, with improvements to the output options:

- We can now email the generated file once complete
- Improvements to CURL options
- Improvements to CSV file parsing

If you want to discuss how the Retro-Printer module can help to capture and process data from older equipment, then please contact us.

v3.29 Release

Apologies for the rapid succession of software releases, as we have been working on addressing some unusual use cases for industry.
v3.29 addresses the following:

- Change to the bold calculation which could look bad in some cases
- Change to the way underlined spaces are printed - to overcome alignment issues.
- Added /root/config/serial_interface to allow you to change the serial port from /dev/ttyUSB0

v3.31 Release

After some requests from industrial customers, we have made some further changes to the Retro-Printer software.

There is now a 64 Bit version and a 32 Bit version of the software - there is a minor speed increase in the 64 Bit version (works on Pi 3B and later) and it allowed us to compile the latest version of GhostPDL used for the HP emulator.

Other changes:
- Minor change to calculate of page number in case of a large number of raw files
- Update to handling of HP PJL sequence as one item of equipment sent a reset printer command to exit.
- Updated /etc/init.d/retroprinter to allow service retroprinter restart
- Improvements to strip-escp2-stream and plain-stream to enable better recovery if the Retro-Printer reboots
- Creating a 64 bit version - slightly quicker (Pi 3B or later only)
- Update GhostPDL to v10.05.0 (64 Bit version only)
- Improve communication between convert-pcl and printpcl.sh as PDFs might be missed when being stored on a USB memory stick.
- Printpcl.sh now converts the files in the ram disk if enabled
- Changes to handling of continuous_paper in convert-txt
- Changes to the output to HTTPS over CURL at end of print job.

v3.32 Release

- Change to how ESC J xx calculates the vertical movement in convert-escp2
- Initial code for handling UDG characters
- Started work on an ESC/POS emulator
- Added DSR/DTR control for the Serial port version
- Further code optimisation on the conversion routine libraries
- Corrections to the Job_Control setting for the offline_switch
- Changes to the convert-IBM routine - we found the OKI ML280 IBM conversion used different calculations for line spacing and graphics were at 144dpi not 120dpi for one customer.

v3.33 Release

- Minor changes to the Printronix emulation
- Changes to the 64 Bit Dongle Library to ensure it works on the 64 Bit OS when using serial RS232 capture
- Customisations for various customers
- Fixed bug when you use a serial device other than /dev/ttyUSB0
- Fixed issue with one customer's PCL data - end of graphics was being followed by a line feed, breaking the output where text and graphics appear on the same line (HP printer worked fine with this)
- Change to operation of Offline_mode = toggle to improve its function when switching between serial and Centronics capture modes.