react-native-brother-print

A React Native module for printing labels on Brother printers via WiFi and Bluetooth. Supports QL series and other Brother label printers with advanced image processing options.

Installation

npm install react-native-brother-print

or using yarn:

yarn add react-native-brother-print

Brother SDK Setup (Android Only)

This library requires the Brother Print SDK, which must be provided by your application due to licensing requirements.

1. Visit Brother's Developer Program
2. Register/Login and download the Brother Print SDK for Android
3. Extract the .aar file from the SDK
4. Create a libs directory in your app's android directory:

   mkdir -p android/app/libs

5. Copy the Brother SDK .aar file to this directory
6. Add the following to your app's android/app/build.gradle:

android {
    // ... your existing android config
}

repositories {
    // ... your existing repositories
    flatDir {
        dirs 'libs'
    }
}

dependencies {
    // ... your existing dependencies
    implementation files('libs/BrotherPrintLibrary.aar')  // Use the actual filename of your .aar file
}

7. (Optional) If you placed the Brother SDK in a different location, you can configure the path in your app's root android/build.gradle:

buildscript {
    ext {
        // ... your other ext properties
        brotherSdkPath = "${rootProject.projectDir}/some/path/to/libs" // Adjust this if you placed the SDK somewhere else
    }
    // ... rest of your buildscript
}

iOS Setup

Run pod install:

cd ios && pod install

Required Permissions

iOS

Add the following permissions to your Info.plist:

<!-- Bluetooth permissions -->
<key>NSBluetoothPeripheralUsageDescription</key>
<string>Find paired Brother printers</string>

<key>NSBluetoothAlwaysUsageDescription</key>
<string>Find paired Brother printers</string>

<!-- WiFi permissions -->
<key>NSLocalNetworkUsageDescription</key>
<string>Find Brother printers installed in the local network</string>
<key>NSBonjourServices</key>
<array>
    <string>_pdl-datastream._tcp</string>
    <string>_printer._tcp</string>
    <string>_ipp._tcp</string>
</array>

Android

Add the following permissions to your AndroidManifest.xml:

<!-- Bluetooth permissions -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH_ADMIN" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH_CONNECT" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.BLUETOOTH_SCAN" />

<!-- WiFi permissions -->
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />

Usage

Basic Print via WiFi

import { printImageViaWifi } from "react-native-brother-print";

try {
  const ipAddress = '192.168.1.100';  // Your printer's IP address
  const modelName = 'QL-820NWB';      // Your printer's model name
  const imageUri = 'file:///path/to/your/image.png';  // Local file URI
  
  await printImageViaWifi(imageUri, ipAddress, modelName);
  console.log('Print successful');
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Print failed:', error);
}

Basic Print via Bluetooth

import { printImageViaBluetooth } from "react-native-brother-print";

try {
  const modelName = 'QL-820NWB';      // Your printer's model name
  const imageUri = 'file:///path/to/your/image.png';  // Local file URI
  
  await printImageViaBluetooth(imageUri, modelName);
  console.log('Print successful');
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Print failed:', error);
}

Black-and-White Conversion Options

For badge printing or scenarios where you need pure black-and-white output, you can use the halftone and thresholdingValue options to control how color images are converted to black-and-white:

import { printImageViaWifi } from "react-native-brother-print";

try {
  const ipAddress = '192.168.1.100';
  const modelName = 'QL-820NWB';
  const imageUri = 'file:///path/to/your/badge-image.png';
  
  // Convert to pure black-and-white with adjustable contrast
  const options = {
    halftone: 'THRESHOLD',        // Force binary cutoff
    thresholdingValue: 128        // Adjust cutoff point (0-255)
  };
  
  await printImageViaWifi(imageUri, ipAddress, modelName, options);
  console.log('Black-and-white print successful');
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Print failed:', error);
}

Print Options

| Option | Type | Values | Description | |--------|------|---------|-------------| | halftone | string | 'THRESHOLD', 'ERROR_DIFFUSION', 'PATTERN_DITHER' | Controls how images are converted to black-and-white | | thresholdingValue | number | 0-255 | Adjusts the black-white cutoff point (lower = more black, higher = more white) |

Halftone Methods

• THRESHOLD: Creates pure black-and-white output with a hard cutoff. Best for badge printing and text.
• ERROR_DIFFUSION: Uses dithering to create the appearance of gradients. Better for photos.
• PATTERN_DITHER: Uses pattern-based dithering. Alternative method for gradients.

Examples for Different Use Cases

Badge/ID Card Printing (Pure B&W):

const badgeOptions = {
  halftone: 'THRESHOLD',
  thresholdingValue: 128  // Balanced cutoff
};

High Contrast Badge (More Black):

const highContrastOptions = {
  halftone: 'THRESHOLD',
  thresholdingValue: 100  // Lower value = more pixels become black
};

Photo Printing with Dithering:

const photoOptions = {
  halftone: 'ERROR_DIFFUSION',
  thresholdingValue: 128
};

Supported Printer Models

This module supports the following Brother printer models:

• QL Series: QL-820NWB, QL-820NWBc, QL-1110NWB, QL-1110NWBc
• PJ Series: PJ-763MFi, PJ-862, PJ-863, PJ-883
• MW Series: MW-145MFi, MW-260MFi
• RJ Series: RJ-2035B, RJ-2050, RJ-2150, RJ-3035B, RJ-3050Ai, RJ-3150Ai, RJ-3230B, RJ-3250WB, RJ-4030Ai, RJ-4230B, RJ-4250WB
• TD Series: TD-2125NWB, TD-2135NWB, TD-4550DNWB
• PT Series: PT-P910BT

Notes

• This module is a wrapper around the official Brother Print SDK
• For more information about the Brother SDK, visit Brother's Developer Program
• Based on react-native-brother-printers

License

MIT