Connect your printer to the RIP: USB, network, and the port 9100 trap

Three ways to connect

USB direct: the RIP talks to the printer itself, with no driver and no print queue (macOS and Linux). System queue: the RIP hands raw data to the operating system's spooler, which passes it through untouched as long as the queue's driver lets it (on Windows, read the next two sections) — this is the normal way on Windows. Network: the RIP opens a socket to the printer's IP on port 9100 and streams the job. All three send exactly the same bytes; pick whichever is convenient.

Windows

1. Plug in the USB cable and switch the printer on. Windows adds a printer by itself within a few seconds, but the driver it picks for most Epsons, Epson ESC/P-R V4 Class Driver, throws away the raw data the RIP sends. Set up one extra printer for the RIP once, as the next section shows.
2. In the RIP, open the Printer tab and choose System, then pick that extra printer (EPSON L805 RAW, say) in the list.
3. Prefer the network? Choose Network and type the printer's IP address, port 9100 — but read the network section first.
4. Press Test connection. It should answer in well under a second.

Windows: add a printer the RIP can print through

A printer with a v4 driver, such as the Epson ESC/P-R V4 Class Driver or Microsoft's IPP class driver, accepts the RIP's job and empties its queue, and the printer never moves. Windows only notes it in the PrintService log (event 372, "Data type: RAW"). The RIP marks such a printer in red and explains what to do. The fix is a second printer on the same USB port with Windows' built-in Generic / Text Only driver, which hands the job to the printer untouched.

1. Easiest: in the RIP, choose the printer Windows added and press Create "EPSON … RAW" under the list. Windows asks once for administrator permission, then the RIP switches to the new printer.
2. By hand: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Printers & scanners → Add device → Add manually ("The printer that I want isn't listed") → Add a local printer or network printer with manual settings.
3. Use an existing port: the USB port of the printer Windows added (USB001, USB002 …; its Printer properties → Ports tab shows which one).
4. Manufacturer Generic, printer Generic / Text Only. Name it after the model plus RAW, for example EPSON L805 RAW: keep EPSON and the model in the name, because the RIP recognises the printer and its model by the name. Do not share it, and skip the test page.
5. In the RIP, choose the new printer under System and press Test connection.

macOS

1. Plug in the USB cable and switch the printer on. You do not need to install anything: the RIP uses the system's USB backend directly.
2. In the RIP, open the Printer tab, choose USB direct and pick the printer.
3. If it does not appear, press the refresh button next to the list; a printer that is asleep sometimes takes a second attempt.
4. For network printing choose Network, type the IP and port 9100, and read the next section.

Linux

1. Plug in the USB cable. The kernel's usblp driver creates a device node, usually /dev/usb/lp0.
2. Your user needs permission to write to it: sudo usermod -aG lp $USER, then log out and back in. The .deb package installs a rule that does this for you.
3. In the RIP, open the Printer tab, choose USB direct and pick the printer. It is listed with its IEEE-1284 identity, so you can tell two identical printers apart by serial.
4. For network printing choose Network, type the IP and port 9100, and read the next section.

Network printing: switch on port 9100 first

Epson ships consumer printers with raw printing (port 9100) turned off, and port 9100 is exactly where every RIP sends. The printer answers pings, shows its web page and prints happily from Windows — but refuses the RIP with a connection error. Nothing is wrong with your cable, your IP address or your network: it is one checkbox inside the printer.

1. Print a network status sheet from the printer's panel (Settings → Network Settings → Network Status) and note its IP address.
2. Open https://<that IP> in a browser and accept the certificate warning — printers use a self-signed certificate, which is normal.
3. Log in as administrator. On recent Epson models the password is printed on a label on the printer itself; on older ones it is often blank.
4. Go to Advanced Settings → Services → Protocol and tick Allow RAW(Port9100) Printing.
5. Press Next, then OK. The printer restarts its network — give it a minute — and then prints from the RIP.

• The IP changed overnight: most routers hand out addresses that expire. Reserve the address in the router, or give the printer a static one from its panel.
• Test connection times out but the printer is on: check port 9100 as above, then check that no firewall on the computer blocks outgoing connections to it.
• The Windows queue list shows OneNote, PDF or XPS: those are virtual printers and the RIP refuses them — a raw ESC/P2 job would be meaningless there.
• Windows: the RIP says the job was sent, the queue empties and the printer does nothing. The printer you chose has a v4 driver (Epson ESC/P-R V4 Class Driver): add the Generic / Text Only printer as above and choose it.
• Linux says permission denied: your user is not in the lp group yet, or you have not logged out and back in since adding it.