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Created November 4, 2025 11:51
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Brother Printer / Label Printer not Printing on Linux
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brother.md

Situation

  • I have a Brother QL-1110NWB label printer
  • I have a dev PC running Fedora 42
  • I have a new laptop running Fedora 43
  • Printer works on PC, but not the new laptop
  • Official rpm driver (LPR, CUPS wrapper) installed
  • Printer discovered in CUPS (correct IP when using LAN and USB ID when connected physically)
  • When print command is given, CUPS immediately reports "Printing complete" but nothing prints
  • Absolutely no error message on computer or printer

Cause

After a few hours of digging, it turns out some additional 32 bits libraries are required as the official 1110NWB driver is 32 bit only.

Solution

sudo dnf install glibc.i686 libstdc++.i686, or equivalent pkgs on your platform.

Reflections

  • My dev PC worked because it's probably got a lot of libraries (32 bit) installed previously
  • Assuming a process being "complete" when receiving no error message is not a good practice
  • No error message is also not a good idea
  • If you are also a developer let's remind ourselves of this terrible UX.
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