PrintLN - Bash CLI Print Tool

A lightweight, production-ready Bash CLI tool for printing documents interactively

Why PrintLN?

PrintLN was created to simplify printing from the command line. No Node.js dependencies, no bloated frameworks — just pure Bash and CUPS integration. It’s designed to be lightweight, cross-platform, and user-friendly.

Features

🖨️ System Printer Integration via CUPS
📄 Multiple File Formats: PDF, TXT, MD, CSV, DOCX, PNG, JPEG
🎨 Color Mode Selection
✅ Interactive Workflow with confirmations
🚀 Lightweight pure Bash implementation
💻 Works on macOS, Linux, Unix

Requirements

Bash 4.0+
CUPS installed and configured
lp and lpstat utilities
bc for calculations

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/live-by-unix/println.git
cd println

# Make the script executable
chmod +x println

# Optional: Install globally
sudo cp println /usr/local/bin/println

If you don’t have sudo, add an alias in ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc:

alias println="/path/to/your/println"

Usage

Basic commands:

println -v        # Show version
println -h        # Show help
println print     # Start interactive workflow

Interactive Workflow

Step 1: Select Printer

Step 2: Enter File Path

Step 3: Select Color Mode

Step 4: Review Summary

Step 5: Confirm & Submit

Troubleshooting

No printers found: Ensure CUPS is installed and running.
No such file or directory: Use absolute paths and check permissions.
Unsupported file type: Verify extension is one of PDF, TXT, MD, CSV, DOCX, PNG, JPEG.

License

This project is licensed under the BSD 3-Clause License. See the LICENSE file for details.