GitHub - leftouterjoins/EpilogDriver: Native macOS CUPS printer driver for Epilog Zing laser engravers

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Epilog Zing macOS Printer Driver

DISCLAIMER: This is an unofficial, community-developed driver. This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Epilog Laser. Use at your own risk. The authors assume no liability for any damage to your equipment, materials, or property, or for any personal injuries. Always follow proper laser safety procedures.

CI Release License: LGPL v3

A native macOS CUPS printer driver for Epilog Zing laser engravers. Print directly to your laser cutter from any macOS application.

Note: This project is a Swift port of the Epilog driver from LibLaserCut, originally written in Java by Thomas Oster and contributors.

Features

  • Raster Engraving - Standard bitmap engraving with adjustable power and speed
  • 3D Greyscale Engraving - Variable-depth engraving using 8-bit greyscale power modulation
  • Vector Cutting - HPGL vector path support for cutting operations
  • Multiple Resolutions - 100, 200, 250, 400, 500, and 1000 DPI
  • Universal Binary - Native support for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) and Intel Macs

First Test

First test engraving

The first test engraving done with this driver.

Supported Models

Model Engraving Area
Epilog Zing 16 16" x 12" (406 x 305 mm)
Epilog Zing 24 24" x 12" (610 x 305 mm)

Installation

From Release (Recommended)

  1. Download the latest .pkg installer from Releases
  2. Double-click to run the installer
  3. Follow the on-screen instructions

From Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/leftouterjoins/EpilogDriver.git
cd EpilogDriver

# Build and install
make release
sudo make install

Adding the Printer

After installation, add your Epilog Zing:

Via System Settings (GUI)

  1. Open System Settings → Printers & Scanners
  2. Click + to add a printer
  3. Select the IP tab
  4. Configure:
    • Address: Your laser's IP (default: 192.168.3.4)
    • Protocol: Line Printer Daemon - LPD
    • Queue: (leave empty)
    • Name: Epilog Zing
    • Use: Select "Epilog Zing 16" or "Epilog Zing 24"

Via Command Line

lpadmin -p "Epilog-Zing" -E \
  -v lpd://192.168.3.4 \
  -P /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/EpilogZing16.ppd \
  -D "Epilog Zing 16"

Print Settings

When printing, you can adjust these settings in the print dialog:

Setting Range Description
Resolution 100-1000 DPI Higher = finer detail, slower
Raster Power 1-100% Laser power for engraving
Raster Speed 1-100% Head movement speed
Raster Mode Standard/3D 1-bit bitmap or 8-bit greyscale
Vector Power 0-100% Laser power for cutting
Vector Speed 1-100% Cutting speed
Vector Frequency 500-5000 Hz Pulse frequency

3D Greyscale Engraving

Select "3D Greyscale (8-bit)" raster mode for variable-depth engraving. Darker areas receive more power, creating depth variation in the material.

Network Setup

  • Default Epilog IP: 192.168.3.4
  • Protocol: LPD (Line Printer Daemon)
  • Port: 515
  • Ensure your Mac and laser are on the same network

Building

Requirements

  • macOS 12.0 or later
  • Xcode Command Line Tools
  • Swift 5.9+

Commands

# Debug build
make build

# Release build (universal binary)
make release

# Run tests
make test

# Build installer package
make package

# Install to system
sudo make install

# Uninstall
sudo make uninstall

Project Structure

EpilogDriver/
├── Sources/
│   ├── RasterToEpilog/     # CUPS filter
│   │   ├── main.swift
│   │   ├── EpilogJob.swift
│   │   ├── RasterEncoder.swift
│   │   ├── VectorEncoder.swift
│   │   └── ...
│   └── CUPSBridge/         # C bridging for CUPS
├── PPD/                    # Printer description files
├── Installer/              # Package installer scripts
├── Tests/                  # Unit tests
└── Makefile

Uninstalling

To remove the driver from your system:

  1. Open Finder
  2. Press Cmd+Shift+G to open "Go to Folder"
  3. Enter: /Library/Printers/Epilog
  4. Double-click "Uninstall Epilog Driver.command"
  5. Follow the prompts (you'll be asked for your password)

Or via Terminal:

open "/Library/Printers/Epilog/Uninstall Epilog Driver.command"

Troubleshooting

Printer not responding

  • Verify network connectivity: ping 192.168.3.4
  • Check port 515 is accessible
  • Ensure laser is powered on and connected

View CUPS logs

tail -f /var/log/cups/error_log

Test filter directly

# Test with a PDF file
cupsfilter -p /Library/Printers/PPDs/Contents/Resources/EpilogZing16.ppd \
  -m application/vnd.cups-raster test.pdf > output.prn

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
  5. Open a Pull Request

License

LGPL-3.0 - see LICENSE for details.

This project is a derivative work of LibLaserCut and is licensed under the same terms.

Acknowledgments

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