Using thermal printer with Arduino UNO

Arduino UNO 16-11-24
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Tutorial plan

1- What is thermal printer ?

2- Components Needed to use thermal printer by Arduino UNO

3- Circuit Setup

4- Programming Arduino UNO

 

 

What is thermal printer ?

A thermal printer is a type of printer that produces printed images or text by selectively heating specially coated paper, known as thermal paper, as it passes over the printer’s thermal print head. The heat-sensitive coating on the paper reacts to heat, creating the desired output.

How Thermal Printers Work

1- Thermal Print Head:

Consists of tiny heating elements aligned in a row.

Heats specific points to create an image or text.

2- Paper Feed Mechanism:

Moves the thermal paper through the printer.

The thermal head applies heat to the paper's surface as it moves.

3- Thermal Paper or Ribbon:

Direct thermal printers require special thermal paper.

Thermal transfer printers use a ribbon to transfer the image to the material.

 

Components Needed to use thermal printer by Arduino UNO

To use a thermal printer with an Arduino UNO, a push button, and a 5V-2A charger, here is a list of components and how to set up the system:

Arduino UNO

Arduino Uno

The microcontroller board that will control the thermal printer and the push button.

QR701 thermal printer

The QR701 Thermal Printer is a compact and efficient thermal printer used for various applications like receipt printing, label printing, and ticketing. Here's a detailed overview of the QR701 thermal printer, its features, and how to integrate it with an Arduino UNO for use in projects.

Push Button

push button

A simple button to trigger the printing action.

5V-2A Power Supply

Provides sufficient power to the Arduino and thermal printer. Since thermal printers typically require more current, a 5V-2A supply is appropriate.

Jumper Wires

Jumper wires

Used to connect the thermal printer, push button, and Arduino.

Breadboard (Optional)

Breadboard

For prototyping and making temporary connections.

Thermal Paper Roll

Special paper that works with thermal printers.

 

Circuit Setup

Thermal Printer to Arduino UNO:

TR pin → (+) terminal of the charger

RX (Thermal Printer) → TX (Arduino UNO) (Pin 1).

First GND (Thermal Printer) → GND (Arduino UNO).

Second GND (Thermal Printer) → GND (Arduino UNO).

Push Button to Arduino UNO:

One side of the button connects to GND.

The other side connects to a analogic input pin (e.g., A0).

5V-2A Power Supply:

Use the 5V-2A charger to power  the thermal printer.

 

Programming Arduino UNO

Here’s a basic example code to use the push button to print a message when it is pressed:

We must use the librariy: LiquidCrystal_I2C to control QR701 thermal printer :

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