What Is Star CloudPRNT?
Star CloudPRNT supports printing from a server application by connecting a printer directly to your server on the cloud.
With Star CloudPRNT, you can instruct printing directly from the cloud server to a printer without using such devices as a tablet inside a store.
This allows printers to be installed more freely*.
* It depends on your printer or operating environment.
Advantages of Star CloudPRNT
- Since various REST API-based HTTP requests (the MIME type of POST is JSON) are issued by a printer, developing a dedicated server (compatible with Star CloudPRNT) allows printing to a remote printer.
- Star CloudPRNT uses common communication protocols and data format, so you can select any OS and development language on the server.
- Printers compatible with the CloudPRNT communication protocol Version MQTT have lower latency between the server and the printer, delivering faster printing.
- Star Document Markup, which generates print data using easy-to-understand markup tags, is available.
Developer Support Tools
Developer support tools are provided to help implement CloudPRNT, such as creating print data and decoding the status.
Memo
The Star CloudPRNT protocol uses common communication protocols (HTTP, MQTT) and data format (JSON). It means that no developer support tool is always required to implement a CloudPRNT-compatible server. You can perform implementation on the server using any OS or development language.
This is a .NET Standard 2.0-compatible library that can be installed via NuGet on projects with .NET 4.6 or later or .NET Core 2.0 or later.
This API provides ready-made classes that convert the print job format, decode the status, and serialize or deserialize CloudPRNT JSON messages.
This is a standalone command line tool to integrate with a server development system that invokes local processes.
This tool can be provided as native binaries for servers such as Linux x86, Linux x64, Linux Arm, Mac OS x64, Windows x86, and Windows x64 (it is not necessary to install the .NET Framework or .NET Core runtime).
This is a simple printer markup language adaptable to any Star printer regardless of emulation, print width, or print method.
Without deep knowledge of a printer-specific escaping sequence, you can enable various POS printer functions, such as cut, alignment, image printing, and text formatting, using easy-to-understand tags. While Star Document Markup is easier to use than creating a print job configuration only with printer-specific commands, it provides a balance between full bit image-based printing and plain text output.
Note that Star Document Markup must be used together with .NET API or CPUtil.
These simple CloudPRNT server samples introduce CloudPRNT protocol implementation and CPUtil integration examples.