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cb219
5y

Soo my dad has a food printer he uses to print edible images on cakes our customers order. The food printer needs to run at least once a week (regularly) to kinda guarantee not to get fucked up with its ink, as that can damage the printer when it's dry. My dad though doesn't have regular orders...
The printer has a standard function to test all colors.
My dad asked me how this task could be managed regularly, as I'm the IT guy 🙄. His idea was to log all the dates on paper.

Now I'm trying to automate this task via Windows so we don't have to care about papers to manually log when the next test must run. On Windows the printer settings can be accessed to run this color check.

... I've got a feeling this will be another one of those tasks that I will overengineer over the top😅. I've already done my research with automated batch jobs (never done batch before) but the normally proposed code for a "Düsentestmuster", so the color check, prints a different overview I was not expecting, which doesn't fit the purpose.
Now I'm here and, as I currently see no way of simplifying it, I have to kinda simulate a person that opens these settings and runs this check. With Python, pyautogui and Tesseract OCR, to prevent the program from clicking anything wrong. Although I'm sure there should be an easier way for this, I haven't found it, so I guess I have to proceed on this path and take the experience I gain as a bonus...

rant

automated task

overengineering

python

hope it pays off

printer

fucking ink problems
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  • 4
    5y
    ... printer...
    ... windows...

    ... i'd expect it to have, besides its fancy standalone control app, also at least a shitty driver compatible with standard windows printing?

    so how about you just make an app that uses that to print whatever sinple image suits your needs?
  • 0
    5y
    Definitely make a script to print any suitable image, it will be both easier and more useful.
  • 0
    5y
    @Midnigh-shcode 2 problems I've had so far with this:
    1. What are you exactly talking about? Is there an API I've missed to find/use? I'm a bit afraid to dive into this driver shitshow, as I've got no experience with dealing with driver files or whatsoever....
    2. is there any way to design a paper, where every ink is used? what about PGBK? That has been a big problem for me. I don't know how this color could be successfully integrated? Print an image file with some extra black text? Print a document with same content?
  • 0
    5y
    @cb219

    1. eh... i am talking about... normal printing from code?

    https://stackoverflow.com/questions...

    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/...

    I have never met a language that wouldn't have some command/class like this.

    2. i have no idea what your question is here. printer has inks/pigments that it uses to print colors it sees on the input image. for each pigment there's at least one input color that will make the printer use that pigment, either on its own, or in combination with other pigments, to mix the final color.
  • 2
    5y
    @cb219

    P.S. yeah, i'm probably oversimplifying a bit.

    Consider it a counterbalance to how you're probably overcomplicating it.
  • 0
    5y
    @Midnigh-shcode fuck me, I just wrote an essay to clarify some misunderstandings ... post comment on devrantron, my comment has somehow vanished forever😩
    ok then, short version:
    Never worked with C# (I come from Java), might give it a try, if printing is comfortable with it. Considered Python for its quick coding.
    Wanted to somehow print with every ink available in the printer, C,M,Y,BK,PGBK. Just to keep the ink fresh. I know that the printer mixes the colors😅. Image/document file and their usage of BK/PGBK aka difference? Print image with some black text -> PGBK ever used? Document -> BK ever used? Any way to use all inks other than this ink test?
    Maybe you know more?
    On the other side: C# to print this ink test? Any direct sources other than simply googling? Might give your initial links a try...
    🤷
  • 0
    5y
    @cb219 ink test is a fancy image. c# is not important, point was every language has a "print using default printer" command, so use it.

    point in color mixing was that whatever fancy inks your printer has, there's an input image color that will make the printer use that fancy ink. so find what that color is and use it in input -> printer docs.

    i don't have any more experience than you, beyond experoence with the principles i've just told you.

    you keep forgetting that IT is just layers upon layers of workarounds. which is, e. g., wthy there is (95% chance) an RGB color+bit depth+image format that will force the printer to spit out that fancy ink.

    there might even be a dedicated api/programming language command to spit out the builtin test page.

    not a step by step howto, i know.
    just a "botch approach" counteract to your overengineering reflexes.
  • 0
    5y
    @cb219 "pgbk", though, sounds like pure black, though. as in, monochromatic. so: print a page of color image, your black gets made from rgb.

    print a page of black&white text, your black gets made from dedicated pgbk ink.

    so at worst, you print two "pages".
  • 0
    5y
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  • 1
    5y
    @retnikt googled it, don't think I will be investing more time in it, as what I've coded fulfills its purpose
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