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How to set up SimplyPrint?

1. Purchase of Raspberry Pi


A Raspberry Pi is a small computer that among other things, can be set up to control your 3D printer. Setting up SimplyPrint requires you to have a Raspberry Pi for each printer you want to set up. There is a couple different models you can get, so if you need help with choosing witch one is right for you, check out this article. It is also possible to connect a camera module or webcam to the Pi, so you can get video streaming and images from your printer.

2. User creation


To get started, you just need to register an account at simplyprint.io/signup where after creation you will be taken through a step by step, setup of your printers. Here you have to choose which plan you want to proceed with. You can see exactly what you are getting from the various plans before choosing. Then you have to choose which printers you have and wish to set up with SimplyPrint. (If you do not find your printer on the list, choose “Any generic printer” and enter det info on your printer. The SimplyPrint team will update the list when it is confirmed that your printer communicates well with OctoPrint it will be added as soon as possible and your printer will automatically be set to the correct model.

3. Download our image


(Skip to step 5 if setting up a SimplyPrint kit)

If you already have a Raspberry Pi that needs to be set up with SimplyPrint, you need what is called an "image" which is an installation file for the Raspberry Pi. We have created our own image which makes it easy to get started. during setup, select "set up from scratch", here is a download button that retrieves our image. Once downloaded, it must be written to a micro SD card as described below.

4. Flashing SD card


(Skip to step 5 if setting up a SimplyPrint kit)

Download and install “Raspberry Pi imager” from the link provided in the setup wizard. Open the program and insert a micro SD card of at least 8 GB, into your computer. When the Raspberry Pi imager opens on your computer, click "Choose OS". Scroll down to the bottom of the list and select “Use custom” and then find the file where you saved it. Next, choose where to install the image. Click “Choose SD card” and select the micro SD card. Now it should be possible to press the "Write" button and then it is going to need to stand there for a few minutes to install. When the Raspberry Pi imager says “SimplyPi has been written to X”, the SD card can be removed.

5. Setup of network


Now you just need to get the printer linked to the correct Raspberry Pi. Setup will be a lot easier if you make sure that your device you are setting up from is on the same network as your Raspberry Pi(s). Start from the top and press “Setup” on the first printer.

Easy WiFi setup


Insert the SD card back into your computer and access the SD card in Explorer.
You can use the wifi generating tool in the setup-guide that will generate the correct file from the inputs you enter.
Download the file and drag it onto the SD card and make sure to click "replace file" when it askes you. (If it doesn't ask you that, make sure that the file name is still only “octopi-wpa-supplicant”)
Take out the SD card from your computer and insert the SD card in the back of the Raspberry Pi.

Less easy wifi setup


Insert the SD card back into your computer and access the SD card in Explorer. Here you should find the file “octopi-wpa-supplicant”. Open that file with a text editor.



Enter the name of your network between the quotation marks after “ssid”. Remember that it is important that uppercase and lowercase letters are entered correctly.



Enter the password for your network between the quotation marks after “psk”. Remember that it is important that uppercase and lowercase letters are entered correctly.



Press control + s or go under files and select “save” to save the changes.

You can now take the SD card out of your computer again and put it in your Raspberry Pi. Plug in the power and it will then log on to your network. The problem with this method is that there is no easy way to see if the Raspberry Pi manges to connect to your network.

6. Setting up a printer in SimplyPrint


Now you just need to get the printer linked to the correct Raspberry Pi. Setup will be a lot easier if you make sure that your device you are setting up from is on the same network as your Raspberry Pi(s). Start from the top and press “Setup” on the first printer. If everything works as expected you should see an image of a Raspberry Pi and a green button beside it that says "Setup OctoPrint". Click on that and follow the instructions in there. When you are through the setup in OctoPrint, you can return to SimplyPrint to finish the setup for that printer. If you have multible printers to set up, repeat the same process for the rest of them.

Setup from auto detect


When you return from the setup in OctoPrint the Raspberry Pi should now have 2 buttons, Identify and setup. Press the "Identify" button to see which printer starts homing and making a little move. Then click "setup" and choose the printer that identified it self. Go through the list one at a time and repeat the process.

Setup from 4 character code


Code from printer
If your printer supports M117 commands (writes text on the display) a 4 character code will show up on the display which can be entered under "Enter setup code". This connects the printer to your account.

Code from OctoPrint
If you have OctoPrint set up in advance, you can open the IP, it’s on and get the code you need in the bar at the top. If you don’t know the IP address, you can download “Angry IP scanner” and scan your network for a device called “SimplyPi-XXXX” and then enter it’s IP into the search bar in google. This should launch you into OctoPrint where some setup might be needed, but after that your code should appear in the top as well.

7. Getting into your panel


When all the printers setup, the next step will take you to your personal panel where your printer(s) will be waiting for you. Congratulations!

Updated on: 01/08/2021

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