Store file paths and URLs in a print queue
Watch folder: Drop files into ~/to-print and they'll be printed automatically
Print all pending items with a single command
Track what's been printed and what's still pending
Works with your default macOS printer

Requirements

Python 3.6+
macOS (uses lp command for printing)
curl (for downloading URLs)

Usage

Two ways to queue items

Method 1: Manually add items to the queue

Add a local file:

./print_queue.py add /path/to/document.pdf
./print_queue.py add ~/Downloads/invoice.pdf --name "Monthly Invoice"

Add a URL:

./print_queue.py add https://example.com/article.html
./print_queue.py add https://example.com/page.html --name "Important Article"

Method 2: Use the watch folder (simpler!)

Just drop files into ~/to-print:

cp ~/Downloads/document.pdf ~/to-print/
mv ~/Desktop/receipt.pdf ~/to-print/

The watch folder accepts: PDF, TXT, JPG, PNG, GIF, DOC, DOCX, HTML, and PS files.

List items in the queue

Show pending items:

./print_queue.py list

Show all items (including already printed):

./print_queue.py list --all

Print all pending items

Print everything in the queue:

./print_queue.py print

Preview what would be printed (dry run):

./print_queue.py print --dry-run

Remove items from queue

Remove a specific item by ID:

./print_queue.py remove 3

Clear all printed items from the queue:

./print_queue.py clear

How it works

Manual queue:

When you're away from your home network, use add to store items in the queue
The queue is stored in queue.json in this directory
When you're back on your home network, run print to print everything
Items are marked as printed but stay in the queue
Use clear to remove printed items when you're done

Watch folder:

Drop any files into ~/to-print whenever you want
When you run print, all files in the folder are printed
After printing, files are moved to ~/to-print/printed/ to avoid reprinting
You can delete or keep the printed files - they won't be reprinted

Examples

Using the watch folder (easiest):

# Away from home - just drop files in the folder
cp ~/Downloads/receipt.pdf ~/to-print/
cp ~/Desktop/ticket.pdf ~/to-print/

# Back home - check what's ready
./print_queue.py list

# Print everything
./print_queue.py print

Using manual queue (for URLs or tracking):

# Away from home - add items to queue
./print_queue.py add ~/Downloads/receipt.pdf
./print_queue.py add https://github.com/user/repo/blob/main/README.md --name "GitHub README"

# Back home - check what's queued
./print_queue.py list

# Print everything
./print_queue.py print

# Later, clean up printed items
./print_queue.py clear

Mix both methods:

# Add URLs to queue
./print_queue.py add https://example.com/article.html

# Drop files in folder
cp ~/Downloads/*.pdf ~/to-print/

# Print everything at once (queue + folder)
./print_queue.py print

Tips

Watch folder is the easiest: Just drop files into ~/to-print - no commands needed until you're ready to print
File paths are converted to absolute paths, so they'll work even if you change directories
URLs are downloaded and sent directly to the printer
For better web page printing, consider saving the page as PDF first, then dropping it in the watch folder
Use --name to give items friendly names instead of long file paths or URLs
Printed files from the folder are moved to ~/to-print/printed/ - check there if you need to reprint something

Troubleshooting

"File not found" error: Make sure the file path is correct and the file exists

Printing fails:

Check that your printer is set up and lpstat -p -d shows your default printer
Make sure you're connected to the network where your printer is available
For URLs, ensure you have internet connectivity

Permission denied: Make sure the script is executable with chmod +x print_queue.py