Driver for Black Copper bc-100ac thermal printer

hammad1029

I have a Black Copper thermal printer (model: bc-100ac) and I want to use it with my Kubuntu machine but I can't find any linux drivers for it. Windows drivers are available. Is there any workaround for this? I don't want to switch to windows just to print some receipts. already tried general cups thermal printer driver but it gives 'filter failed error'

larsonreever

Finding a driver or workaround for using the Black Copper BC-100AC thermal printer with Kubuntu (or any Linux distribution) can be challenging, especially if the manufacturer does not provide direct support for Linux.

The typical path involves trying to adapt Windows drivers or find generic drivers that can handle the printer’s language. Here's a step-by-step approach to possibly resolve your issue:

**1. Check Printer Compatibility
**
Verify Printer Language: First, determine what printer languages (e.g., ESC/POS, ZPL, EPL) your Black Copper printer supports. This information is often in the printer's manual or on the manufacturer’s website.

Generic Drivers: Since you’ve tried a generic CUPS thermal printer driver without success, consider checking if the error logs (usually in /var/log/cups/error_log) provide any specifics about the failure, which could guide adjustments.

2. CUPS and Printer Drivers

Install CUPS: Ensure you have CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System) installed. It's the standard print system for Unix-like systems, including Linux, and supports many printers out of the box.

Driver Options:
Gutenprint: This is a suite of high-quality drivers for thermal, inkjet, and laser printers. It might include a driver that's compatible or nearly compatible with your printer.

OpenPrinting: Visit OpenPrinting.org to see if there is any IT support community or custom drivers available for the Black Copper BC-100AC.

3. Windows Driver via Wine**

Wine: Since Windows drivers are available, consider using Wine to run the Windows driver software. While this is not a typical approach for printer drivers, it’s worth experimenting if other avenues fail.

4. Virtual Machine or USB Redirection

Virtual Machine: As a more robust but resource-intensive workaround, set up a Windows virtual machine (VM) using VirtualBox or a similar tool. Enable USB pass-through for the printer so that it can be accessed directly by the VM.

USB/IP: Another advanced technique involves using USB over IP to share the printer with a Windows server or another machine that has the drivers installed. Tools like usbip can be used on Linux to achieve this.