Installation

Desktop App (Recommended)

PrintHQ Bridge is available as a native desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Download the latest version from the Bridge download page.

Platform	Format	Download
macOS (Apple Silicon)	.dmg	Download
macOS (Intel)	.dmg	Download
Windows (x64)	.exe installer	Download
Linux (x64)	.AppImage	Download
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)	.deb	Download
Linux (Fedora/RHEL)	.rpm	Download

macOS

1. Download the .dmg for your chip (Apple Silicon for M1/M2/M3/M4, Intel for older Macs)
2. Open the .dmg and drag PrintHQ Bridge to your Applications folder
3. First launch only: Open Terminal and run:

   xattr -cr "/Applications/PrintHQ Bridge.app"

4. Right-click the app and select Open (not double-click) for the first launch
5. After the first launch, you can open it normally

Why the extra steps?

PrintHQ Bridge is not yet notarized with Apple. macOS may show a warning that the app is "damaged" or from an "unidentified developer." The xattr command removes the quarantine flag. We're working on obtaining an Apple Developer certificate to eliminate this step.

Windows

1. Download and run the .exe installer
2. Follow the installation wizard
3. PrintHQ Bridge launches automatically after installation

Upgrading on Windows

If upgrading from a previous version, you may need to close the existing Bridge process first. Open Task Manager, find bridge-server.exe, and end the task before running the installer.

Linux

AppImage:

chmod +x PrintHQ_Bridge_1.3.2_amd64.AppImage
./PrintHQ_Bridge_1.3.2_amd64.AppImage

Debian / Ubuntu:

sudo dpkg -i PrintHQ_Bridge_1.3.2_amd64.deb

Fedora / RHEL:

sudo rpm -i PrintHQ_Bridge-1.3.2-1.x86_64.rpm

Desktop App Features

The desktop app includes:

• System tray icon — Bridge runs in the background even when you close the window
• Auto-updates — Bridge checks for updates automatically and installs them
• Native webview — Lightweight (~15 MB) compared to browser-based wrappers
• Full network access — No sandbox restrictions for printer discovery

Docker

For headless servers, Raspberry Pi, NAS devices, or Unraid — run Bridge as a Docker container.

docker run -d \
  --name printhq-bridge \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  --network host \
  -v bridge-data:/app/data \
  ikyvex/printhq-bridge:latest

Or with Docker Compose:

services:
  printhq-bridge:
    image: ikyvex/printhq-bridge:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    network_mode: host
    volumes:
      - bridge-data:/app/data

volumes:
  bridge-data:

Why --network host?

Bridge needs direct access to your LAN to discover and communicate with printers via mDNS, SSDP, and UDP broadcast. Without host networking, printer discovery won't work.

Docker on macOS / Windows

Docker Desktop on macOS and Windows runs containers inside a VM, which breaks printer discovery even with --network host. Use the native desktop app instead. Docker is best suited for Linux servers.

Unraid

1. Install the Docker Compose Manager plugin from Community Applications
2. Create a new stack with the Docker Compose config above
3. Set the network to host mode
4. Map a persistent volume for /app/data

Next Steps

Once installed, follow the Quick Start guide to connect your first printer.