[SOLVED] Brother QL-700 USB printer with CUPS

coxe87b · 2025-12-22 11:09:00

I am trying to get my system to recognise my Brother QL-700 printer in CUPS and I have so far had no luck getting it going.

I have tried various suggestions from the following sources:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/CUPS/T … B_printers

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=208821

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=149487

I have tried adding udev rule for SANE, blacklisting usblp, correcting permissions to 644 and adding the /dev/bus/usb/001/008 device to the lp group, made sure my user is in the lp group and adding the local udev rule for the printer as described in the wiki linked above.

The output of lsusb shows my printer, but it comes up as a mass storage device for some reason:

$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 05e3:0608 Genesys Logic, Inc. Hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 05e3:0608 Genesys Logic, Inc. Hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 1e71:300e NZXT NZXT Kraken Base
Bus 001 Device 005: ID 067b:2303 Prolific Technology, Inc. PL2303 Serial Port / Mobile Phone Data Cable
Bus 001 Device 006: ID 1915:0059 Nordic Semiconductor ASA ZY Control Mic
Bus 001 Device 007: ID 1462:7c56 Micro Star International MYSTIC LIGHT
Bus 001 Device 008: ID 04f9:2049 Brother Industries, Ltd QL-700 Label Printer (mass storage)
Bus 001 Device 009: ID 05e3:0610 Genesys Logic, Inc. Hub
Bus 001 Device 010: ID 09ea:0130 Generic Virtual HUB
Bus 001 Device 011: ID 1e7d:2e22 ROCCAT Kone XTD Mouse
Bus 001 Device 012: ID 046d:c33c Logitech, Inc. G512 RGB MECHANICAL GAMING KEYBOARD
Bus 001 Device 013: ID 09eb:0131 IM Networks, Inc. Virtual HID
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 002: ID 2109:2813 VIA Labs, Inc. VL813 Hub
Bus 003 Device 007: ID 2109:8888 VIA Labs, Inc.
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 002: ID 2109:0813 VIA Labs, Inc. VL813 Hub

$ lsblk -f
NAME        FSTYPE FSVER LABEL  UUID                                 FSAVAIL FSUSE% MOUNTPOINTS
sda
└─sda2      ext4   1.0   data   dd595916-2420-44cf-8aca-dfbb8eaf7997    250G    81% /var/cache/pacman
                                                                                    /mnt/data
sdb
└─sdb1      ext4   1.0   picard 3690b565-7dbc-456b-a0ba-f940c2d5fa3f  432.1G    53% /mnt/picard
sdc
└─sdc1      vfat   FAT12 QL-700 68C0-8F04
nvme1n1
└─nvme1n1p1 ext4   1.0   worf   a51198b0-cf68-4d4d-89bc-bd235aaf5504  246.9G    72% /mnt/worf
nvme0n1
├─nvme0n1p1 vfat   FAT32        E91A-EFFB                             468.8M     8% /efi
├─nvme0n1p2 ext4   1.0   arch   8fc075c0-d93c-4904-bb3d-ef53c167ab55    9.3G    71% /
├─nvme0n1p3 ext4   1.0   home   59cdfadb-82fd-4638-9299-118fac82fa55    287G    56% /home
├─nvme0n1p4
├─nvme0n1p5 ntfs         win11  22E6CA84E6CA57A5                         78G    48% /mnt/windows11
├─nvme0n1p6 ext4   1.0   home2  c53a599d-ed4d-4fc7-a6d9-3942f5cd5726  133.8G    85% /mnt/home2
└─nvme0n1p7 swap   1     swap   b5bc5d5e-eada-4b4b-a370-26dd6843b9dd                [SWAP]
nvme2n1
└─nvme2n1p1 btrfs        nv0    eb7f722e-41d5-404d-b065-0f32a63d42fd   69.8G    85% /mnt/riker

Noticing that the device appears as block device sdc as well.

Further info that may help;

$ ls -l /dev/bus/usb/001/008
crw-rw-r-- root lp 0 B Mon Dec 22 21:45:08 2025  /dev/bus/usb/001/008

$ lpstat -v
device for FUJI_XEROX_DocuPrint_CM225_228_fw_ESS_01.02.03.20.3836_IOT_foo_01.02.00: socket://10.1.1.5

$ lpinfo -lv
Device: uri = beh
        class = network
        info = Backend Error Handler
        make-and-model = Unknown
        device-id =
        location =
Device: uri = ipp
        class = network
        info = Internet Printing Protocol (ipp)
        make-and-model = Unknown
        device-id =
        location =
Device: uri = cups-pdf:/
        class = file
        info = CUPS-PDF
        make-and-model = Virtual PDF Printer
        device-id = MFG:Generic;MDL:CUPS-PDF Printer;DES:Generic CUPS-PDF Printer;CLS:PRINTER;CMD:POSTSCRIPT;
        location =
Device: uri = lpd
        class = network
        info = LPD/LPR Host or Printer
        make-and-model = Unknown
        device-id =
        location =
Device: uri = ipps
        class = network
        info = Internet Printing Protocol (ipps)
        make-and-model = Unknown
        device-id =
        location =
Device: uri = socket
        class = network
        info = AppSocket/HP JetDirect
        make-and-model = Unknown
        device-id =
        location =
Device: uri = http
        class = network
        info = Internet Printing Protocol (http)
        make-and-model = Unknown
        device-id =
        location =
Device: uri = https
        class = network
        info = Internet Printing Protocol (https)
        make-and-model = Unknown
        device-id =
        location =
^[[ADevice: uri = smb
        class = network
        info = Windows Printer via SAMBA
        make-and-model = Unknown
        device-id =
        location =

$ journalctl -b | tail -n 30
Dec 22 22:00:03 yoda.lan systemd[1]: Finished Cleanup of Temporary Directories.
Dec 22 22:01:05 yoda.lan kernel: usb 1-9: USB disconnect, device number 8
Dec 22 22:01:05 yoda.lan (udev-worker)[3968]: sg2: Process '/usr/bin/setfacl -m g:saned:rw /dev/sg2' failed with exit code 1.
Dec 22 22:01:05 yoda.lan (udev-worker)[3967]: 6:0:0:0: Process '/usr/bin/setfacl -m g:saned:rw /dev/bsg/6:0:0:0' failed with exit code 1.
Dec 22 22:01:05 yoda.lan (udev-worker)[3971]: sdc1: Process '/usr/bin/setfacl -m g:saned:rw /dev/sdc1' failed with exit code 1.
Dec 22 22:01:05 yoda.lan (udev-worker)[3970]: sdc: Process '/usr/bin/setfacl -m g:saned:rw /dev/sdc' failed with exit code 1.
Dec 22 22:01:07 yoda.lan kernel: usb 1-9: new full-speed USB device number 14 using xhci_hcd
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan kernel: usb 1-9: New USB device found, idVendor=04f9, idProduct=2049, bcdDevice= 1.00
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan kernel: usb 1-9: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan kernel: usb 1-9: Product: QL-700
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan kernel: usb 1-9: Manufacturer: Brother
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan kernel: usb 1-9: SerialNumber: 000M4G473933
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan kernel: usb-storage 1-9:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan kernel: scsi host6: usb-storage 1-9:1.0
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan mtp-probe[3993]: checking bus 1, device 14: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.2/0000:02:00.0/usb1/1-9"
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan mtp-probe[3993]: bus: 1, device: 14 was not an MTP device
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan mtp-probe[4011]: checking bus 1, device 14: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.2/0000:02:00.0/usb1/1-9"
Dec 22 22:01:08 yoda.lan mtp-probe[4011]: bus: 1, device: 14 was not an MTP device
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel: scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access     Brother  QL-700           0.01 PQ: 0 ANSI: 2
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg2 type 0
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] 4065 512-byte logical blocks: (2.08 MB/1.98 MiB)
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 17 00 00 08
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] No Caching mode page found
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Assuming drive cache: write through
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel:  sdc: sdc1
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel: sdc: p1 size 4064 extends beyond EOD, enabling native capacity
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel:  sdc: sdc1
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel: sdc: p1 size 4064 extends beyond EOD, truncated
Dec 22 22:01:09 yoda.lan kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI removable disk

$ cat /etc/modprobe.d/blacklistusblp.conf
blacklist usblp

$ cat /etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="04f9", ATTRS{idProduct}=="2049", GROUP:="lp", MODE="0664"

$ cat /etc/udev/rules.d/99-printer.rules
ATTRS{idVendor}=="04f9", ATTRS{idProduct}=="2049", MODE="0664", GROUP="lp", ENV{libsane_matched}="yes"

I also installed the brother-ql700 package from the AUR but it did not seem to have any effect.

$ paru -Ss brother | grep QL-700 -B 1
aur/brother-ql700 3.1.5r0-2 [+3 ~0.10]
    LPR and CUPS driver for Brother QL-700 label printer

Any help is appreciated, thank you.

Last edited by coxe87b (2025-12-24 07:32:44)

coxe87b · 2025-12-24 04:41:08

UPDATE: I have booted into Win11 and used the printer with it's built-in software (which is loaded on it's built-in block storage, explaining why it appears as a Mass Storage device in both Linux and Windows).

The printer works ok under Windows but funnily enough, does not appear as a USB printer there either, the packaged software "just knows" where to send the print jobs to. This leads me to thinking that it will not appear as a printer under the regular CUPS web GUI like other people's guides lead me to believe. I will keep digging and update if I find a solution to this.

coxe87b · 2025-12-24 07:32:20

I have resolved the issue.

This printer is new and I was unfamiliar with all the features, after trying different things I discovered that a physical button on the printer labelled "Editor Lite" (which has a corresponding LED that was lit up by default when I first powered it on) toggles the printer between two different modes.
Turning this mode off and power-cycling the printer seems to change it from being recognised as a Mass Storage device to being recognised as a Label printer. It removes the block device /dev/sdc and appears as a USB printer in CUPS now and in lpinfo.

$ lpinfo -lv
...
Device: uri = usb://Brother/QL-700?serial=000M4G473933
        class = direct
        info = Brother QL-700
        make-and-model = Brother QL-700
        device-id = MFG:Brother;CMD:PT-CBP;MDL:QL-700;CLS:PRINTER;
        location =

$ lpstat
device for Brother_QL-700: usb://Brother/QL-700?serial=000M4G473933
device for FUJI_XEROX_DocuPrint_CM225_228_fw_ESS_01.02.03.20.3836_IOT_foo_01.02.00: socket://10.1.1.5

Marking as solved.

Arch Linux

#1 2025-12-22 11:09:00

[SOLVED] Brother QL-700 USB printer with CUPS

#2 2025-12-24 04:41:08

Re: [SOLVED] Brother QL-700 USB printer with CUPS

#3 2025-12-24 07:32:20

Re: [SOLVED] Brother QL-700 USB printer with CUPS

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