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USB-only printers (DNP, Citizen, HiTi)

These printers are not on the network. Here is what works today and what does not.

Dye-sub printers built for photo booths — the DNP DS-series, Citizen, HiTi — usually connect over USB and do not appear on the network at all. Fotova prints over AirPrint, so these printers are not visible to it as they come.

What works today

Put a network between the iPad and the printer. Both options below turn the printer into an ordinary AirPrint device, after which everything in Fotova works normally — fleet routing, edge compensation and paper selection included.

  • DNP WCM Plus. DNP’s own wireless module. Check with DNP whether your model exposes standard AirPrint, as that is what decides whether it works with Fotova directly.
  • A print server. A small computer — a Raspberry Pi is the usual choice — running CUPS with the printer attached, sharing it on the network. Well-trodden by booth operators, and inexpensive.
  • A Mac. Install the manufacturer’s macOS driver and turn on printer sharing. The most expensive option, and the one with official driver support.

What does not work

Plugging the printer straight into the iPad. Apple does not allow an app to talk to a wired printer unless the printer carries Apple’s authentication hardware, which these do not, and iOS has no way to install a printer driver.