[ic] Linux label printers

[Grant]

> > I'm planning on switching from Windows and its USPS and FedEx shipping
> > software to Linux and IC for my shipping workstation.  I'm hoping to
> > use some of the tags posted to the list to be able to print USPS and
> > FedEx shipping labels, but I'm having trouble finding a thermal label
> > printer that will work in Linux.  Does anyone have a recommendation?
> >
> > Also, if anyone is interested in a Zebra LP 2844 that works great in
> > Windows but I can't get to work in Linux, let me know.  A few rolls of
> > labels too.
> >
> > - Grant
> >
> 
>    If you really want to get rid of it I'll take it for sure, but that is
> exactly what
> I use for printing FedEx labels.  I have it connected via the serial port
> and do
> an open of file and printer, write file to printer and close.  The file is
> a PNG
> image returned from FedEx.  Here is the Perl code I have which I'm sure
> can be improved upon
> 
>   open (PNG, $labelFile) or die "Could not open PNG file $!";
>   open (ZEBRA, ">/dev/ttyS0") or die "Could not open serial port $!";
>     my $line = '';
>     $line = <PNG>;
>     while ($line) {
>     print ZEBRA $line;
>       # This will send it to the Zebra printer print ZEBRA $line;
>       $line = <PNG>;
>     }
> 
>   close(PNG);
>   close(ZEBRA);
> 
> Does anyone use this printer for printing USPS labels and if so what
> format
> of file do you write to the printer ?
> 
> Jon

Hello Jon and Brian, I'm finally ready to test printing USPS labels to
this Zebra on a Linux system.  The USPS docs:

http://www.usps.com/webtools/htm/Delivery-Confirmation.htm

tell me that the XML data I'm seeing USPS return for the label itself
is Base64-encoded in TIF.  Jon, have you had any luck getting your
Zebra to print one of these USPS labels?

- Grant

P.S. I was planning on setting up FedEx Ground printing like this
also, but they can't get up my hill so pickups won't work.  I'll be
opening a UPS account and setting up this type of shipping with them. 
Has anyone set up UPS/IC shipping before?