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Show HN: Thermal Receipt Printers – Markdown and Web UI

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Re: Show HN: Thermal Receipt Printers – Markdown and Web UI

#31

Post by 1e1a »

sayamqazi wrote: post #17
atonse wrote: post #5

Can we not print full pdf type stuff with thermal printers? I just bought one a couple weeks ago actually.

its slower than text mode. basically you can print anything as long as you can convert it to monochrome bitmap before sending. But the thermal printers have anotehr mode which prints extremely fast if your data is textual with rudimentary formatting like order slips.

I believe the speed also depends on how many activated dots there are per line in the image, as thermal print heads often have a limit to the number of elements that can be activated at once.

Re: Show HN: Thermal Receipt Printers – Markdown and Web UI

#32

Post by sheept »

Spunkie wrote: post #12

I've not much to say on the thermal printer part of this but the extensions they did to markdown are great. They had me double taking for a few seconds thinking they might be real markdown because they make so much sense. [align=center] Center-align the following text (also left, right) [qr=https://...] Generate and print a QR code Deprecating align in html was a mistake.

Since align is only deprecated and not removed, and Markdown is a superset of HTML (at least for CommonMark and GFM), it would be valid markdown to just use to center text (not like there's such a thing as invalid Markdown)

Re: Show HN: Thermal Receipt Printers – Markdown and Web UI

#33

Post by zigzag312 »

xp84 wrote: post #15
Spunkie wrote: post #12

I've not much to say on the thermal printer part of this but the extensions they did to markdown are great. They had me double taking for a few seconds thinking they might be real markdown because they make so much sense. [align=center] Center-align the following text (also left, right) [qr=https://...] Generate and print a QR code Deprecating align in html was a mistake.

It’s funny, after all the work that was done to decouple content from presentation, 90% of the markup I’ve seen in every codebase this decade is using Styled Components anyway, which commingles them in the source code anyway.

I think this further proves that the hypothesis of decoupling content from presentation is flawed. The question is how many more data points do we need before we admit that?

Re: Show HN: Thermal Receipt Printers – Markdown and Web UI

#35

Post by thomascountz »

1e1a wrote: post #29
samlinnfer wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can buy phenol free paper https://www.pca.state.mn.us/business-with-us/bpa-and-bps-in-...

There's also this which works using a purely physical process: https://www.koehlerpaper.com/en/products/Thermal-paper/TH_Bl...

Check out some results here: https://thermalprintcameras.wordpress.com/blue4est-paper/

Re: Show HN: Thermal Receipt Printers – Markdown and Web UI

#36

Post by thomascountz »

user_7832 wrote: post #30
fy20 wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An alternative to consider are dot matrix / impact printers. They are used in kitchens, as heat sensitive paper doesn't work well there. It's just plain paper and an ink ribbon. Same underlying protocol as thermal printers, so the code is mostly plug and play. They often can print in two colours (red and black). And sound like the 1980s.

I... thought dot matrix printers were some of the worst for releasing particulate matter into the air? Especially ultra fine particles?

I can't find any information regarding this.

Re: Show HN: Thermal Receipt Printers – Markdown and Web UI

#38

Post by conorcleary »

bigbuppo wrote: post #24
baby_souffle wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you share more about this workflow? I have only recently started to appreciate how my special blend of adhd can work best with there's a physical component to actually _seeing_ the work to be done vs stashed away in a jira, exclusively.

The TL;DR is that it's a physical kanban board mixed with a time clock. I place them on a ticket rack hanging on the wall above my monitor. It like the ones you see at restaurants... extruded aluminum... filled with marbles... slot on the bottom. If my board is full, I can't (or at least shouldn't) accept more work. It also is an immediate reminder of what needs to be done. The physical process of marking a ticket do…

In that case... how much is 14 feet of this ticket rack? ;-)

Re: Show HN: Thermal Receipt Printers – Markdown and Web UI

#39

Post by adolph »

zigzag312 wrote: post #33
xp84 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s funny, after all the work that was done to decouple content from presentation, 90% of the markup I’ve seen in every codebase this decade is using Styled Components anyway, which commingles them in the source code anyway.

I think this further proves that the hypothesis of decoupling content from presentation is flawed. The question is how many more data points do we need before we admit that?

Yes, iirc the concept wasn't to decouple content and presentation but to decouple semantics from presentation in order to re-present content in different media in that medium's native representation of a particular semantic. However, many things are not much different in different media, a headline is a headline. And other things like "emphasis" can have cultural differences even within the same media, like being bold, italicized or even double-quotes.

Re: Show HN: Thermal Receipt Printers – Markdown and Web UI

#40

Post by tamimio »

thomascountz wrote: post #2

Obligatory "be careful with that poison paper" warning![1] [1]: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=false&qu...

I use Niimbot M2_H which uses thermal transfer technology, and it’s more durable and lasts longer than thermal ones, BPA free as well.
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