Order Printer

A lightweight Python script that monitors my email inbox (via IMAP) for Squarespace order notifications and prints a receipt on a thermal printer. Designed to run on a Raspberry Pi.

How It Works

1. Connects to your email inbox via IMAP every 2 minutes
2. Checks for unread emails matching Squarespace order notifications
3. Parses the order number, customer info, and details
4. Prints a formatted receipt on a thermal printer via CUPS
5. Marks the email as read to avoid reprinting

Hardware

• Raspberry Pi (any model with network access)
• ESC/POS thermal receipt printer (I use it with an Epson TM-T20II)
• Printer connected via USB and configured in CUPS

Setup

1. Clone the repo

git clone https://github.com/Neubauer-Ralf/order-printer.git
cd   -order-printer

2. Create your environment file

cp .env.example .env
nano .env

Fill in your credentials and printer name. See Configuration below.

3. Test it

python3 order_printer.py

Send yourself a test email with " " in the subject to verify it picks it up and prints.

4. Install as a system service

# Copy and edit the service file (update User and paths if needed)
sudo cp   -orders.service /etc/systemd/system/
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/  -orders.service

# Enable and start
sudo systemctl enable   -orders
sudo systemctl start   -orders

# Verify it's running
sudo systemctl status   -orders

Configuration

All configuration is done via environment variables. Copy .env.example to .env and fill in your values.

Variable	Description	Default
ICLOUD_EMAIL	Your iCloud email address (must be @icloud.com, not a custom domain)	—
ICLOUD_APP_PASSWORD	App-specific password (generate here)	—
IMAP_SERVER	IMAP server address	imap.mail.me.com
IMAP_PORT	IMAP port	993
PRINTER_NAME	CUPS printer name (find with lpstat -p)	—
PRINT_WIDTH	Thermal printer character width	32
CHECK_INTERVAL	Seconds between inbox checks	120
SENDER_FILTER	Filter emails by sender (matched against From header)	squarespace
SUBJECT_FILTER	Filter emails by subject (matched against Subject header)
LOG_FILE	Path to log file	~/ -orders.log

iCloud Custom Domain Note

If you use a custom email domain with iCloud+ (e.g. you@yourdomain.com), you still need to use your underlying @icloud.com address as the IMAP username. Your custom domain emails will be in the same inbox.

App-Specific Password

Apple requires an app-specific password for third-party IMAP access:

1. Go to account.apple.com
2. Sign-In and Security → App-Specific Passwords
3. Generate a new password and copy it to your .env file

Useful Commands

# Check service status
sudo systemctl status   -orders

# View live logs
journalctl -u   -orders -f

# Restart after config changes
sudo systemctl restart   -orders

# Stop the service
sudo systemctl stop   -orders

Customization

• Receipt format: Edit the format_order_receipt() function in order_printer.py
• Email parsing: Adjust regex patterns in parse_order_info() to match your email format
• Cut command: If the partial cut doesn't work, change b'\x1d\x56\x01' to b'\x1d\x56\x00' for a full cut
• Print width: Adjust PRINT_WIDTH for your paper size (32 for 58mm, 48 for 80mm)

Receipt Output

================================
        ~ INSERT COMPANY ~
          NEW ORDER!
================================

  Order #: 00042
  Time:    14:30 - 01.03.2026
  Customer: Max Mustermann
  Total:   24,90

--------------------------------
 ORDER DETAILS:
--------------------------------
 ...

================================
   Time to pack some coffee!
================================

Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• No external pip packages needed (uses only stdlib)
• CUPS configured with your thermal printer

License

MIT