Flutter ESC/POS Network Universal #

A high-performance, cross-platform (IO & Web) Flutter library for printing to ESC/POS thermal network printers (WiFi/Ethernet).

This package is a forked and extended version of flutter_esc_pos_network, rewritten for "universal" cross-platform support (IO & Web).

✨ Key Features #

• 📱 Cross-Platform: Unified API for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and Web.
• 🖼️ Widget Printing: Render any Flutter Widget directly to your thermal printer with printWidget.
• 🚀 Asynchronous Performance: Uses compute (Isolates) for image processing to keep the UI thread smooth.
• 📏 Chunked Printing: Automatically splits long receipts into chunks to prevent buffer overflow and ensure smooth web printing.
• 🌐 Web Bridge: Native TCP support on Web via the Local TCP Extension.
• 🔄 Real-time Status: Broadcast stream for monitoring the availability of the web printing bridge.
• 📏 Custom Paper Sizes: Robust support for 58mm, 72mm, and 80mm paper widths.

🔗 Official Resources #

• GitHub Repository: Source Code
• GitHub Download Link: Download Source & Scripts
• Chrome Web Store: Local TCP Extension
• Video Tutorial: Setup Guide & Demo

🚀 Getting Started #

1. Unified Interface Usage #

import 'package:flutter_esc_pos_network_universal/flutter_esc_pos_network_universal.dart';

final printer = PrinterNetworkManager(
  '192.168.1.100',
  paperSize: ThermalPosPrinterPageSize.size80mm,
);

PosPrintResult connect = await printer.connect();
if (connect == PosPrintResult.success) {
  // Print standard ESC/POS bytes
  await printer.printTicket(ticketBytes);
  
  printer.disconnect();
}

2. Printing a Flutter Widget #

await printer.printWidget(
  context,
  child: MyReceiptWidget(), // Any standard Flutter widget
);

🌐 Web Architecture (The Bridge) #

Since standard web browsers cannot directly open TCP sockets, this package uses a Native Messaging Bridge:

1. Extension: The Local TCP Chrome Extension acts as the bridge.
2. Native Host: A small setup script (available on GitHub) runs on the user's computer to handle the actual TCP sockets.
3. Seamless API: The package automatically detects the platform and routes commands through the extension if running on Web, providing a single, unified development experience.

🛠️ Performance Configuration #

You can tune the chunkHeight to balance printing speed vs. memory usage. The default is 100 pixels, which is optimized for smooth web printing.

final printer = PrinterNetworkManager(
  host,
  chunkHeight: 100, // Balanced for Web stability
);

🤝 Support & PRs #

We welcome community contributions! Please report bugs, suggest features, or submit PRs to help improve the universal printing experience.

Built with ❤️ by Algoramming Systems Ltd.