A real message, on real paper
Type a note here and a tiny printer in their house wakes up and prints it on real paper. Make plans, tell a joke, or just say hi. It comes out as a real piece of paper they can keep.
For everyone who remembers when getting mail was the best part of the day.
Checking the message machineMaking sure it is ready.
Built by their dad.
A fun nostalgic printer for two wonderful kids.
The idea
I found an old thermal printer that had an Ethernet port, so I wondered if I could hook it up to the internet so my kids could receive printed messages from their friends and family.
Before accepting a note, the site confirms that the printer is online and ready.
BrowserA small database gives each note a place in line, guards against spam, and checks the language is kid-friendly.
Supabase queueAn always-on computer in my house securely asks the cloud for the next message.
Node.js workerThe computer sends printer commands across my home network, then cuts the receipt.
ESC/POS + EthernetHow it was made
I found an old thermal printer with an Ethernet port and wondered if I could connect it to the internet. After getting it to print from my Mac, I built a cloud queue where each incoming telegram waits until the printer is ready. A small program on an always-on computer at our house retrieves the next message, turns it into printer commands, and sends it across our home network.
The result is deliberately simple: family and friends write on a screen, while Vinny and Chase receive a real piece of paper.
