Quickstart

Print your first PDF in under 10 minutes.

This guide takes you from a new account to a printed page. You will create a test key, print to a virtual test printer, then install the agent and print to a real printer with a live key.

1. Create an account and a test key

   Sign in at app.inkrelay.app with your email. We send a one time code, no password needed. Open API keys, create a key with Test mode on and the print scope, and copy it. It is shown once. Keys that start with pe_ from before the rename keep working.

   export INKRELAY_API_KEY="ir_test_your_key"
   
2. Check the key

   Call whoami to confirm the key works and see which organization and mode it belongs to.

   curl https://api.inkrelay.app/v1/whoami \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer $INKRELAY_API_KEY"
   
3. List printers

   Test keys see the four virtual printers on InkRelay Test Computer. Copy the id of “Test A4 Laser”.

   curl https://api.inkrelay.app/v1/printers \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer $INKRELAY_API_KEY"
   
4. Print

   Send a PDF by URL. The job walks from queued to done in about 3 seconds.

   curl https://api.inkrelay.app/v1/printjobs \
     -H "Authorization: Bearer $INKRELAY_API_KEY" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"printerId":"PRINTER_ID","title":"Hello","contentType":"pdf_uri","content":"https://inkrelay.app/sample.pdf"}'
   

   Or use an SDK, which also waits for the job to finish:

   TypeScript

   import { InkRelay } from "inkrelay";
   
   const ir = new InkRelay({ apiKey: process.env.INKRELAY_API_KEY });
   const printerId = "PRINTER_ID";
   const url = "https://inkrelay.app/sample.pdf";
   
   const job = await ir.printJobs.createAndWait({ printerId, title: "Hello", contentType: "pdf_uri", content: url });
   console.log(job.state);
   
5. Go live with a real printer

   Install the agent on a computer that has a printer, approve it in the dashboard and mark the printer live. Then create a key without Test mode (it starts with ir_live_), list printers again and repeat the print call with the real printer id.

Next steps

• Read Printing PDFs for the job fields, limits and states.
• Subscribe to webhooks instead of polling.
• Learn how test mode behaves so your tests match production.