Virtual Printer¶

The Virtual Printer feature allows Bambuddy to emulate a Bambu Lab printer on your network. This enables you to send prints directly from Bambu Studio or Orca Slicer to Bambuddy, even without a physical printer connected.

Overview¶

When enabled, Bambuddy creates a virtual printer that:

• Appears automatically in Bambu Studio/Orca Slicer via SSDP discovery
• Accepts print jobs over secure TLS/MQTT connections
• Can queue prints for later or auto-start them on a connected printer
• Works with the same workflow as sending to a real Bambu Lab printer

Use Cases¶

• Print Archiving: Send prints to Bambuddy for archiving without starting them
• Queue Building: Build up a print queue before your printer is available
• Print Farm Preparation: Prepare jobs to distribute across multiple printers
• Remote Slicing: Slice on one computer and send to Bambuddy running elsewhere

Configuration¶

Enabling the Virtual Printer¶

1. Go to Settings in Bambuddy
2. Scroll to the Virtual Printer section
3. Toggle Enable Virtual Printer to on
4. Set your preferred Access Code (8 digits, like a real Bambu printer)
5. Choose a Mode:
6. Queue: Prints go to pending uploads for manual review
7. Auto-start: Prints automatically start on the default printer

Settings¶

Adding to Bambu Studio / Orca Slicer¶

Automatic Discovery¶

1. Ensure the virtual printer is enabled in Bambuddy
2. In Bambu Studio/Orca Slicer, go to Device tab
3. Click Refresh or wait for discovery
4. The virtual printer "Bambuddy" should appear in the device list
5. Click to add it, entering the access code when prompted

Manual Addition¶

If automatic discovery doesn't work (e.g., different subnets):

1. In Bambu Studio, go to Device → Add Printer
2. Select Add printer by IP
3. Enter the IP address of your Bambuddy server
4. Enter the access code
5. The printer will be added to your device list

Sending Prints¶

Once added, sending prints works exactly like a real printer:

1. Slice your model in Bambu Studio/Orca Slicer
2. Click Print or Send to Printer
3. Select the Bambuddy virtual printer
4. Click Send

Queue Mode¶

In queue mode, prints appear in the Pending Uploads panel:

• Review the print details and thumbnail
• Send to any connected printer
• Delete unwanted prints
• Prints are archived automatically

Auto-Start Mode¶

In auto-start mode:

• Prints are immediately sent to your default printer
• The print starts automatically if the printer is ready
• You can still cancel from the printer or Bambuddy

Docker Configuration¶

The virtual printer requires direct network access for SSDP discovery. When running in Docker:

Required: Host Network Mode¶

services:
  bambuddy:
    build: .
    network_mode: host  # Required for virtual printer
    volumes:
      - bambuddy_data:/app/data
      - bambuddy_logs:/app/logs
      - bambuddy_vprinter:/app/virtual_printer  # Persist certificates

Certificate Persistence¶

The virtual printer generates TLS certificates on first start. For the slicer to maintain trust across container rebuilds, mount the virtual_printer directory:

volumes:
  bambuddy_data:
  bambuddy_logs:
  bambuddy_vprinter:  # Keeps certificates across rebuilds

Troubleshooting¶

Printer Not Appearing in Slicer¶

1. Check virtual printer is enabled in Bambuddy settings
2. Verify network connectivity - slicer and Bambuddy must be on the same network
3. Check firewall rules - ports 1990 (SSDP), 8883 (MQTT), and 9990 (FTPS) must be open
4. Try manual addition using the IP address

Connection Refused / Error -1¶

1. Verify access code matches in both Bambuddy and slicer
2. Check certificate trust - remove and re-add the printer in slicer
3. Docker users: Ensure network_mode: host is set

Authentication Failed¶

1. The access code in slicer must match Bambuddy settings
2. Try removing the printer from slicer and re-adding it
3. Check Bambuddy logs for authentication errors

Prints Not Appearing¶

1. Queue mode: Check the Pending Uploads panel
2. Auto-start mode: Check if the default printer is configured and online
3. Review Bambuddy logs for any upload errors

Technical Details¶

Protocols Used¶

Security¶

• All connections use TLS 1.3 encryption
• Self-signed certificates are auto-generated
• Access code authentication required for all connections
• Certificates are stored in virtual_printer/certs/

Limitations¶

• Only one virtual printer instance per Bambuddy installation
• Requires network_mode: host in Docker for discovery
• Slicer must trust the self-signed certificate (added on first connection)