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taep: Print pictures as collages with label tape printers
===========================================================
.. figure:: readme_flow.png
:width: 800px
The `taep` workflow from artwork to a physical T-shirt using iron-on label tape. Cat photo by `Jae Park <https://unsplash.com/photos/brown-tabby-cat-7GX5aICb5i4>`__.
``taep`` is a tool that helps you create collages out of label tape printed with a label printer such as Brother's
P-touch devices.
``taep dither`` takes an SVG file with your design and some lines representing the labels' locations, and
outputs a list of dithered PNG files, one for each label, ready for printing. Optionally, ``taep print`` can also directly
print these rendered images for you using the ``ptouch-print`` tool.
For creating and tweaking your design, ``taep`` has several helper utilities built-in. ``taep template`` will generate a
template with a label tape layout you give it that you can use to base your design off of. ``taep preview`` will render
a preview that approximates how the printed labels will look when you lay them out. ``taep assembly`` will render an
assembly diagram with labels indicating each label tape's number in the order output by ``taep dither`` or `taep
print`.
Quick start
-----------
1. Install ``taep`` from PyPI using `pip install taep`, and install ``usvg``, ``resvg``, ``didder`` and ``ptouch-print`` as
shown below under Dependencies_.
2. Run ``taep template template.svg`` to create a template with pre-generated label tape areas. The default tape width
is 24mm, but you can adjust this as you wish.
3. Create a new SVG document and design your artwork in it.
4. Copy the label tape areas from the template into your artwork SVG and save the resulting SVG. ``taep`` will later
identify these areas by their color. You can copy or delete these, change the length of them, and move and rotate
them as you wish. Just make sure you don't skew or shear them and that you don't change their width so that they
still match the width of the tape that's physically in the printer you're using.
5. Run ``taep preview artwork_with_label_areas.svg`` on this SVG to render a preview image. By default, ``taep`` will
open this preview image in your browser. If that doesn't work, run ``taep preview [input].svg preview_out.svg`` to
write it to `preview_out.svg` and open that file with an SVG viewer of your choice. Adjust the content of your design
as necessary.
6. Run ``taep print artwork_with_label_areas.svg`` to print your artwork to a brother P-touch label printer connected
via USB.
Dependencies
------------
usvg
``usvg`` can be installed using ``cargo install usvg``.
``usvg`` is used by ``taep`` to simplify the input SVG file before processing it.
resvg
``resvg`` can be installed using ``cargo install resvg``.
``taep`` uses ``resvg`` to rasterize the SVG file.
didder
``didder`` can be installed from source at `https://github.com/makew0rld/didder <https://github.com/makew0rld/didder>`__.
``taep`` uses ``didder`` to dither the rasterized input, because these thermal label printers can only print two
colors and do not support grayscale.
ptouch-print (optional)
``ptouch-print`` can be installed from source at `https://git.familie-radermacher.ch/linux/ptouch-print.git <https://git.familie-radermacher.ch/linux/ptouch-print.git>`__.
``taep`` uses ``ptouch-print`` when you ask it to print the generated labels using ``taep print``. You can also use
``taep dither`` to just generate a pile of PNGs, and use something else to print them.
Command-Line Interface Usage
----------------------------
You can override where ``taep`` looks for ``usvg``, ``resvg``, ``didder`` and ``ptouch-print`` by passing the full path to a
binary through the environment variables ``USVG``, ``RESVG``, ``DIDDER`` and ``PTOUCH_PRINT``.
You can override didder's dithering settings by passing the environment variable `DIDDER_ARGS`. The default value used
when this variable is not set is `edm --serpentine FloydSteinberg`.
.. code-block:: shell
bigdata~/p/taep <3 python -m taep --help
Usage: python -m taep [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...
Options:
--help Show this message and exit.
Commands:
assembly
dither
preview
print
template
``taep template``
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. code-block:: shell
bigdata~/p/taep <3 python -m taep template --help
Usage: python -m taep template [OPTIONS] [OUTPUT_SVG]
Options:
--num-rows INTEGER Number of tapes
--tape-width FLOAT Width of tape
--tape-border FLOAT Width of empty border at the edges of the tape in mm
--tape-spacing FLOAT Space between tapes
--tape-length FLOAT Length of tape segments
--magic-color TEXT SVG color of tape
--help Show this message and exit.
``taep preview``
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. code-block:: shell
bigdata~/p/taep <3 python -m taep preview --help
Usage: python -m taep preview [OPTIONS] [INPUT_SVG] [OUTPUT_SVG]
Options:
--magic-color TEXT SVG color of tape
--dpi FLOAT Printer bitmap resolution in DPI
--pixel-height INTEGER Printer tape vertical pixel height
--help Show this message and exit.
``taep dither``
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. code-block:: shell
bigdata~/p/taep <3 python -m taep dither --help
Usage: python -m taep dither [OPTIONS] [INPUT_SVG] OUTPUT_DIR
Options:
--magic-color TEXT SVG color of tape
--dpi FLOAT Printer bitmap resolution in DPI
--pixel-height INTEGER Printer tape vertical pixel height
--help Show this message and exit.
``taep print``
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. code-block:: shell
bigdata~/p/taep <3 python -m taep print --help
Usage: python -m taep print [OPTIONS] [INPUT_SVG]
Options:
--magic-color TEXT SVG color of tape
--dpi FLOAT Printer bitmap resolution in DPI
--pixel-height INTEGER Printer tape vertical pixel height
--confirm / --no-confirm Ask for confirmation before printing each tape
--tape TEXT The index numbers of which tapes to print. Comma-
separate list, each entry is either a single
number or a "3-5" style range where both ends are
included.
--help Show this message and exit.
``taep assembly``
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. code-block:: shell
bigdata~/p/taep <3 python -m taep assembly --help
Usage: python -m taep assembly [OPTIONS] [INPUT_SVG] [OUTPUT_SVG]
Options:
--magic-color TEXT SVG color of tape
--dpi FLOAT Printer bitmap resolution in DPI
--pixel-height INTEGER Printer tape vertical pixel height
--help Show this message and exit.
|
