Ending the Wild West of Smart Spools
An open-source initiative by Prusa Research creating a single smart spool standard that works across all brands and ecosystems. This allows printers and users to read and write data directly on any spool, making 3D printing more reliable and intuitive for everyone.
3D printers have become incredibly user-friendly, but interaction with filament is still a very manual process. To improve the user experience and streamline the workflow, we need smart spools.
A smart spool carries all the important information about the material and its workflow, unlocking key features:
Instantly identifies the material type and color, significantly reducing user error and leading to a simpler, more reliable workflow.
Real-time data tracking, such as the amount of remaining filament, so you always know the exact status of your material.
Enables effortless inventory management and full traceability by allowing you to log custom data.
Some smart spools already exist, but they lack the core principles of universality and interoperability. It's like every brand suddenly decided to use a different filament diameter.
Smart spools are often locked to their specific hardware and filament. This makes them unusable with any third-party machines, forcing users into a closed ecosystem.
Many smart spools just refer to an online database, forcing you to rely on the manufacturer's cloud service. No internet? Your "smart" spool becomes dumb.
Current Smart Spools offer little to zero reusability. This read-only design prevents any updates to live data, and once the filament is depleted, you have no choice but to throw the 'smart' spool away.
: Plug your printer into your MacBook Air using a USB cable. If your Mac only has USB-C ports, you will need a USB-C to USB adapter. Add Printer :
The is an older, "Host-based" printer. It does not have a standard driver included in macOS, and HP has discontinued official support for this specific model on modern macOS versions (Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma).
You can’t just download a standard installer from HP’s website (they don’t offer one for modern macOS). Instead, I had to use the HP LaserJet Software Bundle from HP’s support site for older macOS versions, or use Gutenprint / CUPS via terminal. Some users also succeed with the generic HP LaserJet 1020 driver already hidden in macOS – but it didn’t show up automatically.
For users on the newest versions of macOS (like Sequoia or Sonoma) who find the Apple installer too difficult to bypass, there is a available on GitHub.
However, you can still get it working perfectly on macOS Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia by using a well-known community workaround. Step 1: Download the Apple-HP Driver Package
: Plug your printer into your MacBook Air using a USB cable. If your Mac only has USB-C ports, you will need a USB-C to USB adapter. Add Printer :
The is an older, "Host-based" printer. It does not have a standard driver included in macOS, and HP has discontinued official support for this specific model on modern macOS versions (Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma).
You can’t just download a standard installer from HP’s website (they don’t offer one for modern macOS). Instead, I had to use the HP LaserJet Software Bundle from HP’s support site for older macOS versions, or use Gutenprint / CUPS via terminal. Some users also succeed with the generic HP LaserJet 1020 driver already hidden in macOS – but it didn’t show up automatically.
For users on the newest versions of macOS (like Sequoia or Sonoma) who find the Apple installer too difficult to bypass, there is a available on GitHub.
However, you can still get it working perfectly on macOS Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia by using a well-known community workaround. Step 1: Download the Apple-HP Driver Package
Whether you're a manufacturer, developer, or 3D printing enthusiast, OpenPrintTag makes your workflow smarter.
Complete data format and protocol specification for NFC tag implementation
Physical implementation guidelines and hardware requirements
Want to integrate OpenPrintTag or become a partner? : Plug your printer into your MacBook Air using a USB cable
Get in touch at [email protected]
Explore the specification, examples, and SDKs to integrate OpenPrintTag into your projects. It does not have a standard driver included
Download logos, images, and media files for OpenPrintTag
