A Pico 2 W prints a newspaper every morning

Erol Senon erolsen.dev

A Claude routine writes it overnight, GitHub Actions lays it out, and a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W on the Wi-Fi sends it to a laser printer before breakfast. Nobody presses print.

Can I build this?Beginner · AI 5/5 · $10–20

Difficulty: Beginner
AI-buildability: 5/5
Time: A weekend
Cost: $10–20

Parts

Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W HP LaserJet M111w

Tools

laptopUSB cable

Starter prompt

Based on "A Pico 2 W prints a newspaper every morning" on Afterware: https://afterware.xyz/p/a-pico-2-w-prints-a-newspaper-every-morning

Set up a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W running MicroPython that polls a private GitHub repository every five minutes over HTTPS for a new print file. When a file for the current date appears and the clock passes the scheduled time, have it send the file to my IPP network printer over Wi-Fi and log the result back to the repo. Keep the Pico outbound-only, with a token that can only read the repo and trigger workflows.

Estimates based on the original write-up. How AI-buildability is scored. The maker built this with AI tools: more vibe-coded builds. Building with an AI assistant? Connect it to Afterware (free MCP server).

Story

Every morning a two-page newspaper waits on Erol Sen's HP LaserJet M111w. Nobody at home hits print. A Claude routine writes the issue in the cloud at 05:15, GitHub Actions lays it out in three columns on A4, and a Pico 2 W on the Wi-Fi sends it to the printer at 08:45, or 10:00 on weekends.

The three parts never talk to each other directly. They share one private git repository, so every step leaves a file behind. The Pico only makes outgoing HTTPS requests every five minutes, so nothing on the internet reaches into the house. Its token can read one repo and start its workflows, and nothing else. The printer only takes raster, so Actions renders each page to PWG raster without anti-aliasing. Headless Chrome opens the page, and the build refuses any issue that fails a check.

It's worth stealing for any build that needs a machine to do a job while you sleep. The pattern is pull-only: the device asks for work and never opens a port. The kit is MIT licensed and needs a Pico 2 W or Pico W, an IPP network printer and a Claude plan.

Resources · 2

Kit repository (MIT)Write-up

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