Make README more beautiful (#19)
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A command-line label printer driver for Brother P-touch printers on Linux. Prints text labels directly from your terminal.
## Example
Too print a label, provide your text and optionally a font and a font size. This command will print the label below on a Brother P-Touch P700:
```bash
ptprnt --font "NotoMono Nerd Font" --fontsize 32 --text "🖶 ptprnt v0.2.0 🥰"
```
![Printed label that proudly reads 🖶 ptprnt v0.2.0 🥰](docs/assets/label_print_v0_2_0.jpg)
## Quick Start
**Install dependencies:**
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builddir/ptprnt --help
```
## Usage
### Basic Text Printing
Print a simple label with text:
```bash
ptprnt --text "Hello World"
```
### Formatting Options
Control the appearance of your labels with these options:
- `--font FONT_NAME` - Set the font (e.g., "NotoMono Nerd Font", "DejaVu Sans")
- `--fontsize SIZE` - Set font size in points (default: 24)
- `--halign ALIGNMENT` - Horizontal alignment: `left`, `center`, `right` (default: center)
- `--valign ALIGNMENT` - Vertical alignment: `top`, `center`, `bottom` (default: center)
**Example with formatting:**
```bash
ptprnt --font "DejaVu Sans Mono" --fontsize 28 --halign left --text "Left aligned text"
```
### Multiple Text Elements
You can add multiple text elements to a single label. Formatting options apply to all subsequent `--text` arguments until changed:
```bash
ptprnt \
--font "DejaVu Sans" --fontsize 32 --text "Large Title" \
--fontsize 18 --text "Smaller subtitle"
```
### Multiple Labels (Stitching)
Create multiple labels that will be stitched together horizontally using the `--new` flag:
```bash
ptprnt \
--text "Label 1" \
--new \
--text "Label 2" \
--new \
--text "Label 3"
```
Each `--new` starts a fresh label. The labels are automatically stitched together with 60 pixels of spacing.
**Example - Creating a series of address labels:**
```bash
ptprnt \
--font "DejaVu Sans" --fontsize 20 \
--text "Peter Lustig" --text "Am Bauwagen 1" \
--new \
--text "Donald Duck" --text "Blumenstraße 13" \
--new \
--text "Homer Simpson" --text "742 Evergreen Terrace"
```
**Example - Mixed formatting across labels:**
```bash
ptprnt \
--fontsize 32 --text "BIG" \
--new \
--fontsize 16 --text "small" \
--new \
--fontsize 24 --text "medium"
```
### Printer Selection
By default, ptprnt auto-detects your printer. You can explicitly select a printer:
```bash
ptprnt --printer P700 --text "Hello"
```
List all available printer drivers:
```bash
ptprnt --list-all-drivers
```
### Testing with Fake Printer
Before printing to your real printer, you can test your label output using the built-in fake printer. This generates a PNG image file instead of printing:
```bash
ptprnt --printer FakePrinter --text "Test Label"
```
This will create a file named `fakelabel_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.png` in your current directory with a preview of your label. Use this to:
- Verify text formatting and layout
- Test multi-label stitching
- Preview before wasting label tape
**Example workflow:**
```bash
# First, test your label design
ptprnt --printer FakePrinter \
--font "DejaVu Sans" --fontsize 28 \
--text "Test Design" --text "Check Layout"
# View the generated PNG file to verify
# If satisfied, print to real printer
ptprnt --printer P700 \
--font "DejaVu Sans" --fontsize 28 \
--text "Test Design" --text "Check Layout"
```
### Verbose Output
Enable detailed logging for debugging:
```bash
ptprnt --verbose --text "Debug mode"
```
Enable USB trace to see raw USB communication:
```bash
ptprnt --trace --text "USB trace mode"
```
### Complete Example
An example using a mixed bag of features:
```bash
ptprnt \
--verbose \
--printer P700 \
--font "NotoMono Nerd Font" \
--fontsize 28 --halign center --text "Product Label" \
--fontsize 20 --text "SKU: 12345" \
--new \
--fontsize 24 --text "Backup Label" \
--fontsize 18 --text "Date: 2025-10-16"
```
## Supported Printers
(I need more printers for verification 😉)

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echo "Generating Coverage report for ptprnt"
cd $SCRIPT_PATH/..
ninja -C builddir
ninja -C builddir test