label_printer/README.md

Label Printer GUI

A cross-platform barcode label printing application with a modern GUI. Create, generate, and print labels with automatic Code128 barcode encoding.

Features

✨ Core Features

• 🎨 Beautiful Kivy GUI interface
• 📊 Automatic Code128 barcode generation
• 📄 High-quality PDF label generation
• 💾 Automatic PDF backup system
• ✅ Input validation with 25-character limit
• 🔢 Number-only filter for quantity field

🖨️ Printer Support

• Windows printer detection and printing
• Linux CUPS printer support
• macOS printing support
• PDF fallback (works everywhere)

🚀 Distribution

• PyInstaller support for standalone Windows .exe
• No Python installation needed
• Cross-platform source code (Windows, Linux, macOS)

Quick Start

Option 1: Python Source (Recommended for Development)

# 1. Clone/Download the project
cd Label-design

# 2. Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

# 3. Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements_gui.txt

# 4. Run the app
python label_printer_gui.py

Option 2: Windows Standalone Executable

1. Download LabelPrinter.exe from releases
2. Double-click to run (no Python needed!)
3. First run takes ~5 seconds to initialize

Building Your Own Executable

Windows Build Steps

# 1. Activate virtual environment
venv\Scripts\activate

# 2. Install PyInstaller
pip install pyinstaller

# 3. Build executable
python build_exe.py

Your executable will be in dist/LabelPrinter.exe (~200 MB)

Manual Build Command

pyinstaller --onefile --windowed --name=LabelPrinter ^
  --hidden-import=kivy ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.core.window ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.core.text ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.core.image ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.uix.boxlayout ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.uix.gridlayout ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.uix.label ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.uix.textinput ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.uix.button ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.uix.spinner ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.uix.scrollview ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.uix.popup ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.clock ^
  --hidden-import=kivy.graphics ^
  --hidden-import=PIL ^
  --hidden-import=barcode ^
  --hidden-import=reportlab ^
  --hidden-import=print_label ^
  --hidden-import=print_label_pdf ^
  label_printer_gui.py

File Structure

Label-design/
├── label_printer_gui.py          # Main GUI application
├── print_label.py                # Printing functionality
├── print_label_pdf.py            # PDF generation
├── build_exe.py                  # PyInstaller build script
├── requirements_gui.txt          # GUI dependencies
├── pdf_backup/                   # Generated label PDFs
├── dist/                         # Built executables
├── documentation/                # Docs and guides
│   ├── WINDOWS_SETUP.md
│   ├── PYINSTALLER_GUIDE.md
│   └── [other docs]
└── venv/                         # Python virtual environment

Dependencies

Required (Core):

• python-barcode - Barcode generation
• pillow - Image processing
• reportlab - PDF generation

GUI:

• kivy - Cross-platform GUI framework

Optional (Printing):

• pycups - Linux CUPS support
• pywin32 - Windows printer support

Usage

Basic Workflow

1. Enter Data:

   • SAP-Nr: Article code (up to 25 chars)
   • Cantitate: Quantity (numbers only)
   • ID rola: Reel/Cable ID (up to 25 chars)

2. Select Printer:

   • Choose from detected printers
   • Or select "PDF" for PDF output

3. Print:

   • Click "PRINT LABEL"
   • PDF is auto-saved to pdf_backup/ folder
   • Label sent to printer

PDF Backup

All generated labels are automatically saved with timestamps:

pdf_backup/
├── final_label_20260205_120530.pdf
├── final_label_20260205_120542.pdf
└── final_label_20260205_120555.pdf

Guides

• WINDOWS_SETUP.md - Windows installation guide
• PYINSTALLER_GUIDE.md - Building executables
• documentation/ - All documentation

Troubleshooting

"No Printers Found"

This is normal. Select "PDF" option - labels will be saved to pdf_backup/ folder.

"GUI Won't Start"

Ensure all dependencies are installed:

pip install -r requirements_gui.txt

Windows Executable Issues

• Update PyInstaller: pip install --upgrade pyinstaller
• Rebuild: python build_exe.py
• Check dependencies: pip list

Kivy Graphics Issues

On Linux, you may need SDL2 dependencies:

sudo apt-get install libsdl2-dev libsdl2-image-dev libsdl2-mixer-dev libsdl2-ttf-dev

Platform Support

Platform	Source	Executable	Status
Windows	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Fully Supported
Linux	✅ Yes	❌ No	✅ Fully Supported
macOS	✅ Yes	⚠️ Possible	⚠️ Untested

Technical Details

Barcode Format

• Type: Code128
• Max Length: 25 characters
• DPI: 300 (print quality)

PDF Specifications

• Page Size: 11.5 x 8 cm (landscape)
• Quality: High-resolution barcodes
• Font: Helvetica with automatic sizing

GUI Specifications

• Framework: Kivy 2.3+
• Size: 420 x 700 pixels (mobile-optimized)
• Color: White text on dark background

Contributing

Feel free to fork, modify, and improve!

Suggested improvements:

• Custom barcode formats (QR, Code39, etc.)
• Batch label printing
• Label preview before printing
• Printer-specific settings
• Multi-language support
• Database integration

License

Open source - modify and use freely

Support

For issues, questions, or suggestions:

1. Check the documentation in documentation/ folder
2. Review the code comments
3. Test with the source code first before building exe

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Status: Production Ready ✅

Last Updated: February 2026