For the operation of mobile thermal printers from an Android device an Android print service is to be implemented. The print service allows users to print from any app to the mobile thermal printer. This solution complements an existing software development kit that allows app manufacturers to control the printers from an app that uses the SDK. The new print service is based on the SDK and thus enables a large number of printers to be accessed from all apps that support the Android print function.
Supplement
For the implementation of the print service we use Android's own Android Studio and the programming language Java. In addition, the combination of Azure DevOps and Microsoft Appcenter allows us to develop the app transparently and make it continuously available to the customer. The testing in this project is primarily done manually, using the effective thermal printers that are supported.
Subject description
The target group of our customer ranges from restaurant staff who print receipts to the police who use the portable printers to create parking penance. In order to serve the widest possible customer segment, it is essential for the manufacturer to support not only specific apps that integrate the printer SDK. Many user apps are now browser-based and can therefore only use printers that are found and controlled via the Android operating system. The print service to be developed closes exactly this gap and thus provides our customer with a decisive market advantage.