AirPrint Bridge

Print from your iPhone, iPad or Mac to any network printer — even one that doesn't support AirPrint.

Run one container, open the web page: printers on your network are detected automatically, and one click makes them visible to all your Apple devices.

Quick start

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  airprint:
    image: ghcr.io/moifort/airprint:main
    container_name: airprint
    # Required: AirPrint relies on mDNS (multicast), which does not
    # cross Docker's bridge network.
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      UI_PORT: "8080"
    volumes:
      - /DATA/AppData/airprint/cups:/etc/cups

docker compose up -d

Open http://<server-ip>:8080, wait a few seconds for the scan, then click Add next to your printer. It now shows up in the print dialog of every Apple device on the network.

If your printer isn't detected, Add manually lets you enter its IP address, search the bundled driver database, or upload the manufacturer's PPD file.

CasaOS

App Store → Install a customized app (+ icon) → paste the compose above.

How it works

The container bundles CUPS (the printing system), Avahi (Bonjour/mDNS) and the OpenPrinting driver database (Gutenprint, HPLIP, brlaser, SpliX, foomatic…):

1. the network is scanned over SNMP broadcast and Bonjour — printers answer with their model and connection URI;
2. the right driver is matched automatically — by IEEE 1284 device ID first, then by make-and-model;
3. the printer becomes a CUPS queue announced over mDNS — which is all AirPrint is.

network_mode: host is required because Apple devices discover printers through mDNS multicast, which does not cross Docker's bridge network.

Configuration

	Purpose
UI_PORT (default 8080)	Web interface port
Port 631	Classic CUPS administration at http://<server-ip>:631
Port 5353/udp	mDNS (Avahi) — Bonjour announcements
Volume /etc/cups	Printer configuration (persists queues across restarts)
POWER_PLUGS (default empty)	Auto power: <queue>=<Zigbee2MQTT device>,… — see below
MQTT_URL (default mqtt://localhost:1883)	Auto power: MQTT broker used by Zigbee2MQTT
POWER_OFF_DELAY (default 10)	Auto power: minutes after the last job before switching off

Auto power (smart plug)

Keep the printer switched off and let the bridge power it on when a job comes in. The printer's smart plug must be a Zigbee2MQTT device (if it shows up in HomeKit through Homebridge's Zigbee2MQTT plugin, it is one).

    environment:
      UI_PORT: "8080"
      POWER_PLUGS: "Brother_HL-1210W_series=atelier_imprimante"
      MQTT_URL: "mqtt://192.168.1.199:1883"
      POWER_OFF_DELAY: "10"

The queue name is the one shown on the printer card; the plug name is the device's friendly name in Zigbee2MQTT. When a job arrives, the bridge publishes {"state":"ON"} to zigbee2mqtt/<plug>/set; CUPS holds the job until the printer answers, then prints it. POWER_OFF_DELAY minutes after the queue empties, the plug is switched off — only if a job went through, so a plug switched on by hand is left alone. The printer card shows Auto power: <plug> when configured.

Security note

The web UI has no authentication: anyone who can reach port 8080 can add, delete or reconfigure printers. It is designed for a trusted home LAN — do not expose the port to the internet or an untrusted network (put a reverse proxy with authentication in front if you need remote access).

Troubleshooting

• The printer doesn't show up on the Mac: check the host network mode, then run dns-sd -B _ipp._tcp on a Mac — the printer must be listed. Also make sure the server and the Mac are on the same network/VLAN.
• The printer appears then disappears, or shows up as name @ host-34: two mDNS responders on the same host are fighting over the records. Run only one mDNS responder per host: disable the host's avahi (systemctl disable --now avahi-daemon) and the embedded avahi of other containers (e.g. Homebridge: set ENABLE_AVAHI=0).
• Model not detected: some printers expose neither SNMP nor IPP. Use the manual driver search or provide the manufacturer's PPD file.
• Printing fails despite detection: try another connection in the selector (socket:// works on most printers, port 9100).

Development

pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
pytest

docker build -t airprint .
docker run --rm --network host airprint

On every push to main (and v* tag), the multi-architecture image (amd64 + arm64) is published to GHCR by GitHub Actions.