label_printer/WINDOWS_SETUP.md

Label Printer GUI - Windows Setup Guide

Installation Steps

1. Install Python

• Download Python 3.11+ from python.org
• Important: Check "Add Python to PATH" during installation

2. Create Virtual Environment

python -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements_windows.txt

4. Optional: Windows Printer Support (pywin32)

After installing requirements, run:

python -m pip install --upgrade pywin32
python Scripts/pywin32_postinstall.py -install

This enables native Windows printer detection.

Running the App

From Command Prompt

venv\Scripts\activate
python label_printer_gui.py

Create Shortcut (Optional)

Create a batch file run_app.bat:

@echo off
call venv\Scripts\activate.bat
python label_printer_gui.py
pause

Then double-click the batch file to run the app.

Features

✅ Cross-Platform GUI - Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS ✅ Barcode Generation - Automatic Code128 barcode creation ✅ PDF Output - High-quality PDF labels stored in pdf_backup/ folder ✅ Printer Support - Automatic printer detection (Windows, Linux, macOS) ✅ Input Validation - 25-character limit with real-time validation ✅ PDF Backup - All generated labels automatically saved

Printer Setup

Windows

1. Go to Settings → Devices → Printers & Scanners
2. Add your label printer
3. Run the app - printer will be auto-detected
4. Select printer from dropdown

Alternative (No Printer)

• Select "PDF" option
• Labels will be saved to pdf_backup/ folder
• Open and print from any PDF viewer

Troubleshooting

"No Printers Found"

• This is normal - select "PDF" option
• You can print PDFs manually from the backup folder
• Or install your printer driver

Windows Defender Warning

• Click "More info" → "Run anyway"
• This is safe - the app is open-source

Missing Dependencies

pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements_windows.txt

Port Already in Use

If you get an error about ports, restart your computer or:

python -m pip uninstall -y pywin32
python -m pip install pywin32

File Structure

Label-design/
├── label_printer_gui.py      # Main GUI application
├── print_label.py            # Print functionality
├── print_label_pdf.py        # PDF generation
├── requirements_windows.txt  # Windows dependencies
├── pdf_backup/               # Stored PDF labels
├── venv/                     # Virtual environment
└── documentation/            # Documentation files

Tips

• Character Limit: Each field supports up to 25 characters (barcode limit)
• Quantity Field: Only numbers allowed
• PDF Backup: All labels automatically saved with timestamp
• Cross-Platform: Same code runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS

For more information, see the documentation folder.