How Much Will It Cost To Set Up Your Own Raspberry Pi Print Server?
A popular project for a Raspberry Pi single-board computer is to create a wireless print server, one of the many unexpected use cases of an old Raspberry Pi. This is a simple hack to turn a non-wireless USB-based printer into one you can access wirelessly from any device on your network. You won't need much for this project, and depending on what you have at home, you may not even need to buy anything.
Before you start, check that your printer is supported. You'll also need a Raspberry Pi computer, and an 8GB+ microSD card (or SD card for very early models) to install Raspberry Pi OS and CUPS (Common UNIX Printing System) software.
The next component you need depends on the type of Raspberry Pi model you have, and how you want to configure it. If you have a model with Wi-Fi, then you won't need any of these. For a Pi without Wi-Fi, but with an Ethernet port, you'll just need an Ethernet cable to connect your Raspberry Pi to your Wi-Fi router. If there is no Wi-Fi or Ethernet port, you could either get a USB-to-Ethernet adapter or a Wi-Fi dongle. This will work on even the oldest Raspberry Pi models, and you won't have a problem even with the ultra-low-budget Raspberry Pi Zero.
What does a Raspberry Pi print server cost?
How much the Raspberry Pi print server costs depends on the components you already own — you should at least already have the printer. Let's start off with the Raspberry Pi, ideally, get one with Wi-Fi — almost all the current Raspberry Pi models have Wi-Fi, denoted either by "W" in the model name or "wireless LAN" in the specifications. The print server job is not intensive, so even the starting wireless model — Raspberry Pi Zero W ($9.99 with a $5.95 power supply and a $2.95 Micro-USB to USB Type-A cable for power) — will work fine. To install the OS and CUPS, you will also need an 8 GB or larger microSD card ($7.09 with adapter).
To connect the Raspberry Pi to the printer, most of which have USB Type-B slots, you will need a USB Type-B to USB Type-A cable ($7.79, male-to-male). If you are using a Raspberry Pi with Micro-USB ports (like the Zero W and Zero 2 W), you could get the Micro-USB version of the cable, or just buy a Micro-USB to USB Type-A adapter ($2.50). Everything put together will cost $36.27, including the adapter. Subtract what you already own.
For a Raspberry Pi that doesn't have Wi-Fi or an Ethernet port, such as the Raspberry Pi Zero, you will need one more Micro-USB to USB Type-A adapter ($2.50 each) and a Wi-Fi Adapter ($9.99). You should set up a headless Raspberry Pi, otherwise, you will also need a USB keyboard, HDMI cable, and monitor.