The HPRT N41 Thermal Printer is a USB printer that does not support Ethernet or WiFi connections.

An OpenWRT or X-wrt router supports sharing a USB or parallel port printer over the network using the p910nd print server.

To share the thermal printer on a network, we can connect it to the router.

Setup a Print Server

p910nd settings page

Connect the HPRT N41 Thermal Label Printer to the Router using a USB cable. I am using a Linksys EA7500 v2 but this should work for other routers. The printer is mounted at /dev/usb/lp0. Enable the print server by checking the enable checkbox.

Add a Printer in the macOS Client

macOS add a printer settings

On the client side, go to Printers and Scanners.

  • Add a Printer and navigate to the IP tab.
  • Enter the IP Address of the router in the address field.
  • The protocol should be set as HP Jetdirect - Socket.
  • Lastly, choose the HPRT N41 printer driver manually.

Other Ideas

Another way to share a printer is to use a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W using CUPS. This can add WiFi connectivity to printers that do not support it. AirPrint might also work.