react-native-brother-print

React Native module for Brother Print SDK - Android only. This module provides silent printing capabilities for Brother printers without showing system print dialogs.

Features

• Silent printing - Print text directly without user interaction
• Printer discovery - Find Brother printers on WiFi, Bluetooth, and USB
• Connection management - Connect and disconnect from printers
• Status checking - Monitor printer status and battery level
• Configurable printing - Font size, alignment, copies, and more
• TypeScript support - Full type definitions included
• Promise-based APIs - Modern async/await support

Supported Platforms

• ✅ Android (API 21+)
• ❌ iOS (not supported - Android only)

Installation

npm install react-native-brother-print

Android Setup

1. Copy the Brother SDK AAR file to your Android project:

   cp node_modules/react-native-brother-print/android/libs/BrotherPrintLibrary.aar android/app/libs/

2. Add the module to your MainApplication.java:

   import com.brotherprint.BrotherPrintPackage;
   
   @Override
   protected List<ReactPackage> getPackages() {
     return Arrays.<ReactPackage>asList(
         new MainReactPackage(),
         new BrotherPrintPackage()  // Add this line
     );
   }

3. Add required permissions to your AndroidManifest.xml:

   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_WIFI_STATE" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
   <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" android:usesPermissionFlags="neverForLocation" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION" />
   <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />

4. Request runtime permissions in your app:

   import { PermissionsAndroid, Platform } from 'react-native';
   
   if (Platform.OS === 'android') {
     await PermissionsAndroid.requestMultiple([
       PermissionsAndroid.PERMISSIONS.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION,
       PermissionsAndroid.PERMISSIONS.BLUETOOTH_SCAN,
       PermissionsAndroid.PERMISSIONS.BLUETOOTH_CONNECT,
     ]);
   }

Usage

import BrotherPrintModule from 'react-native-brother-print';

// Search for printers
const printers = await BrotherPrintModule.searchPrinters(15000);

// Connect to a printer
const connected = await BrotherPrintModule.connectPrinter(printers[0]);

// Print text with options
const options = {
  fontSize: 12,
  fontBold: false,
  alignment: 'center',
  copies: 1,
  cutAtEnd: true,
  autoCut: true,
};

const success = await BrotherPrintModule.printText('Hello World!', options);

// Check printer status
const status = await BrotherPrintModule.getPrinterStatus();

// Disconnect
await BrotherPrintModule.disconnect();

API Reference

Methods

searchPrinters(timeoutMs?: number): Promise<PrinterInfo[]>

Discover available Brother printers on the network.

• timeoutMs - Search timeout in milliseconds (default: 15000)
• Returns array of PrinterInfo objects

connectPrinter(printerInfo: PrinterInfo): Promise<boolean>

Connect to a specific printer.

• printerInfo - Printer information from search results
• Returns true if connection successful

printText(text: string, options?: PrintOptions): Promise<boolean>

Print text to the connected printer.

• text - Text to print (supports \\n for line breaks)
• options - Print configuration options
• Returns true if print successful

getPrinterStatus(): Promise<PrinterStatus>

Get the current status of the connected printer.

• Returns PrinterStatus object with error info and battery status

disconnect(): Promise<boolean>

Disconnect from the current printer.

• Returns true if disconnect successful

Types

PrinterInfo

interface PrinterInfo {
  id: string;
  modelName: string;
  ipAddress?: string;
  macAddress?: string;
  serialNumber?: string;
  nodeName?: string;
  location?: string;
  channelType: 'WiFi' | 'Bluetooth' | 'BluetoothLE' | 'USB';
}

PrintOptions

interface PrintOptions {
  fontSize?: number;           // Font size (default: 12)
  fontBold?: boolean;          // Bold text (default: false)
  alignment?: 'left' | 'center' | 'right';  // Text alignment (default: 'left')
  copies?: number;             // Number of copies (default: 1)
  cutAtEnd?: boolean;          // Cut paper at end (default: true)
  autoCut?: boolean;           // Auto cut paper (default: true)
}

PrinterStatus

interface PrinterStatus {
  isOnline: boolean;
  errorStatus: string[];
  mediaType?: string;
  mediaSize?: string;
  batteryLevel?: number;
  batteryStatus?: 'Full' | 'Half' | 'Low' | 'Replace' | 'Unknown';
}

Example App

The package includes a complete example app demonstrating all features:

• Printer discovery
• Connection management
• Text printing with configurable options
• Status checking
• Error handling

To run the example:

cd example
npm install
npx react-native run-android

Supported Brother Printers

This module supports Brother printers compatible with the Brother Mobile SDK, including:

• P-touch series - Label printers
• QL series - Label printers
• PocketJet series - Mobile printers
• MW series - Mobile printers
• RJ series - Mobile printers
• TD series - Desktop printers

Error Handling

All methods return promises that reject with descriptive error messages:

try {
  const printers = await BrotherPrintModule.searchPrinters();
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Search failed:', error.message);
  // Handle specific error codes
  if (error.code === 'BLUETOOTH_ERROR') {
    // Handle Bluetooth issues
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Printer Discovery Issues

• Ensure printer and device are on the same WiFi network
• Check that the printer is powered on and not in sleep mode
• Verify all required permissions are granted
• For Bluetooth printers, make sure Bluetooth is enabled

Connection Problems

• Verify printer is not connected to another device
• Check network connectivity
• Ensure printer model is supported
• Try power cycling the printer

Print Failures

• Check printer paper and ink/toner levels
• Verify printer is online and ready
• Ensure text formatting is correct
• Check for printer error conditions

License

MIT

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

Support

For issues and questions:

• Check the troubleshooting section
• Review the example app
• Open an issue on GitHub