adaptronic_label-printer/old_code/SIMPLE_SETUP_GUIDE.md

Simple Label Printer Setup Guide

🎯 The Correct Workflow

How It Works:

1. GUI monitors text file for changes (C:\Users\Public\Documents\check.txt)
2. When file changes, reads data: COMANDA;NR_ART;SERIAL
3. Replaces variables in SVG template (conf/label_template.svg):
   • {Article} → COMANDA value
   • {NrArt} → NR_ART value
   • {Serial} → SERIAL value
4. Converts SVG → PDF at exact 35mm x 25mm size
5. Prints PDF to configured printer
6. Saves backup in pdf_backup/ folder

Template Customization:

• Edit conf/label_template.svg to change label layout
• Move text positions, add graphics, change fonts
• Keep placeholders: {Article}, {NrArt}, {Serial}
• No code changes needed!

---

🚀 ONE-TIME Setup (5 Minutes)

Step 1: Configure Printer (REQUIRED)

.\setup_printer.ps1

What this does:

• Opens printer preferences dialog
• Guides you to set:
  • Paper Size: 35mm x 25mm (custom)
  • Orientation: Landscape
  • Quality: BEST/600 DPI
• Tests printing

This is CRITICAL - without correct paper size, you'll get:

• ❌ 1 meter roll printing
• ❌ Wrong label size
• ❌ Portrait instead of landscape

---

✅ Daily Use

Start the Application:

python label_printer_gui.py

What You'll See:

1. GUI opens with monitoring controls
2. Select printer: "Labels"
3. Click "Start Monitoring" (or auto-starts)
4. GUI watches the file for changes

Trigger Printing:

• Application writes to C:\Users\Public\Documents\check.txt
• Format: COM-2024-002;ART-67890;SN-20260212
• GUI detects change → Prints label automatically
• File is cleared after printing

---

📝 Data Format

Input File: check.txt

COM-2024-002;ART-67890;SN-20260212

Separator: Semicolon (;)

Breakdown:

• Field 1: Nr. Comanda (Order Number)
• Field 2: Nr. Art. (Article Number)
• Field 3: Serial No. (Serial Number)

Example Data:

ORDER-123;PART-456;SN-2026-001
COM-2024-100;ART-55555;SERIAL-123456
COMANDA-X;ARTICLE-Y;SN-Z

All fields are printed on the label as entered.

---

🔧 Troubleshooting

Problem: 1 Meter Roll Printing

Cause: Printer paper size not configured Fix:

.\setup_printer.ps1

Set paper size to 35mm x 25mm custom

Problem: Dotted/Pixelated Text

Cause: Print quality too low Fix:

1. Open printer preferences
2. Set quality to BEST or 600 DPI
3. Disable dithering 4.Run .\setup_printer.ps1 again

Problem: Label Wrong Orientation

Cause: Orientation not set to landscape Fix:

1. Open printer preferences
2. Set orientation to LANDSCAPE
3. Save and test

Problem: Template Not Working

Cause: SVG template issues Check:

# Verify template exists
dir conf\label_template.svg

# Check console for errors when printing
# Should see: "Using SVG template: conf\label_template.svg"

Problem: Variables Not Replaced

Cause: Template placeholders wrong Fix:

• Open conf\label_template.svg
• Verify placeholders are exactly:
  • {Article}
  • {NrArt}
  • {Serial}
• Case-sensitive!

---

📊 Quality Settings Summary

Setting	Value	Why
PDF DPI	1200	Sharp text & images
Paper Size	35mm x 25mm	Correct label size
Orientation	Landscape	Horizontal layout
Print Quality	600+ DPI	No dotted text
Font Size	8pt	Readable at 35mm width
Compression	Disabled	No quality loss

---

📁 Important Files

File	Purpose
label_printer_gui.py	Main GUI application
conf/label_template.svg	Label layout template
conf/accepted.png	Checkmark image
pdf_backup/	PDF backups of all labels
logs/	Print history logs
C:\Users\Public\Documents\check.txt	Monitored input file

---

🎨 Customizing Label Layout

Edit the Template:

1. Open conf\label_template.svg in:

   • Inkscape (free SVG editor)
   • Adobe Illustrator
   • Any SVG editor

2. Modify:

   • Text positions
   • Font sizes/colors
   • Add graphics/logos
   • Change layout

3. Keep placeholders:

   <text>{Article}</text>
   <text>{NrArt}</text>
   <text>{Serial}</text>
   

4. Save as 35mm x 25mm document

5. Test:

   python test_quality.py
   

No code changes needed! Template is reloaded each time.

---

✅ Verification Checklist

After setup, verify:

• Printer configured (35mm x 25mm, landscape, high quality)
• Test label prints correctly (one label, right size)
• Text is sharp (not dotted)
• GUI starts without errors
• Monitoring detects file changes
• Variables are replaced in output
• PDF backup is created
• Log entry is saved

If all checked ✅ → System working correctly!

---

🆘 Quick Reference Commands

# Initial setup
.\setup_printer.ps1

# Start application
python label_printer_gui.py

# Test print
python test_quality.py

# Check printer config
.\configure_printer_quality.ps1

# View latest PDF
cd pdf_backup
ls | sort LastWriteTime | select -last 1

---

📞 Support

If problems persist:

1. Check printer driver: Update from manufacturer website
2. Verify label stock: Correct thermal labels loaded
3. Test printer: Print self-test page
4. Review logs: Check logs/print_log_*.csv
5. Check PDFs: Open latest PDF in pdf_backup/ to verify content

---

Version: 3.0 - Simplified & Fixed
Last Updated: February 13, 2026
Status: ✅ Ready for Production