Brother QL Label Printer for Inventory Management

A desktop label printing application for Brother QL-700 label printers, designed specifically for inventory management workflows. Print professional labels for boxes, shelves, containers, and assets with QR codes for tracking.

Built with PyQt6 for a native desktop experience on Linux.

Tested on: Ubuntu 25.10 with Brother QL-700 Note: Not validated with other Brother QL models - use at your own risk with other printers.

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Why This Tool?

Managing inventory - whether for home storage, small business, or warehouse operations - requires consistent, scannable labels. This tool provides:

• Quick label generation with common prefixes (Box, Shelf, Container, Asset)
• QR codes that link to your inventory database or tracking URLs
• Batch printing for labeling multiple items efficiently
• Consistent formatting across all your inventory labels
• Persistent settings so you can pick up where you left off

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Features

Printing Modes

Mode	Description	Use Case
QR + Text	Labels with scannable QR code and large text	Track items with URL/database links
Text Only	Simple centered text labels	Shelf labels, category markers
Batch Mode	Print up to 10 different labels at once	Initial inventory setup
Batch Range	Auto-generate numbered sequences	"Box 1" through "Box 50"

Label Templates (8 styles)

1. Horizontal QR + Text - QR left, text right (default)
2. QR Above Text - Vertical layout, QR on top
3. Rotated Layout - Text rotated for vertical reading
4. Text Only Centered - No QR, text fills label
5. Text Rotated 90° CCW - Vertical text orientation
6. Text Above QR - Inverse of template 2
7. Shelf Label - Optimized for shelf edge labels
8. Storage QR Label - Storage type + numbered identifier

Additional Features

• Printer Selection - Choose from multiple connected Brother QL printers
• Label Prefixes - Box, Container, Shelf, Asset, or custom text
• Multiple Tape Widths - 29mm, 38mm, 50mm, 62mm support
• Live Preview - See your label before printing
• Auto-increment - Box 1 → Box 2 → Box 3 with one click
• Keyboard Shortcuts - Enter (preview), Ctrl+P (print), Ctrl+R (reset)
• Customizable Fonts - 40-250pt, any TrueType font
• Persistent Settings - Printer, tape width, font, and prefix selections saved

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Screenshots

Main Interface (QR + Text Mode)

Create labels with QR codes and text. Select a prefix, enter URL and label details.

Label Preview

Preview before printing - "BOX 1" label with QR code and box icon watermark.

Batch Mode

Print up to 10 different labels in one session with individual copy counts.

Template Gallery

Browse all 8 label templates and tape specifications.

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Hardware Requirements

Component	Requirement
Printer	Brother QL-700 (validated)
Tape	Continuous (endless) tape - DK-22210 (29mm) or similar
Connection	USB (USB ID: 04f9:2042)
OS	Ubuntu/Debian Linux (tested on Ubuntu 25.10)

Supported Tape Widths

Width	Pixels (300 DPI)	Brother Model
29mm	306px	DK-22210
38mm	413px	DK-22225
50mm	554px	DK-22223
62mm	696px	DK-11209

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Installation

Option 1: System-Wide Installation (Recommended)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/danielrosehill/brother-ql-label-printer.git
cd brother-ql-label-printer

# Build and install as Debian package
./build-and-install.sh

This creates a system-wide installation with:

• Application in your desktop menu
• brother-label-printer-gui command
• Automatic dependency handling

Option 2: Development Mode

# Clone and run directly
git clone https://github.com/danielrosehill/brother-ql-label-printer.git
cd brother-ql-label-printer
./run.sh

USB Permissions

Add your user to the lp group:

sudo usermod -a -G lp $USER
# Log out and back in for changes to take effect

Or create udev rules at /etc/udev/rules.d/99-brother-ql.rules:

SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="04f9", ATTR{idProduct}=="2042", MODE="0666"

Then reload:

sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger

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Usage

Launch

# If installed system-wide
brother-label-printer-gui

# Or from repository
./run.sh

Or find "Brother Label Printer" in your application menu.

Quick Start: Print Your First Label

1. Select prefix: Choose "Box" from the dropdown
2. Enter URL: Your inventory tracking URL (or any URL)
3. Enter number: "1" (will create "Box 1" label)
4. Preview: Press Enter or click "Generate Preview"
5. Print: Press Ctrl+P or click "Print Label"

Workflow Tips

• Auto-increment: After printing "Box 1", click +1 to jump to "Box 2"
• Batch setup: Use Batch Mode to create multiple different labels at once
• Range printing: Use Batch Range for sequences like "Shelf 1" through "Shelf 20"
• Text-only labels: Switch to Text Only tab for simple category labels

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Enter	Generate preview
Ctrl+P	Print label
Ctrl+R	Clear/reset form
Ctrl+Up	Increment label number
Ctrl+,	Open settings

Settings

Access via Settings → Printer Settings or Ctrl+,:

• Printer: Select from connected Brother QL printers
• Paper Size: 29mm, 38mm, 50mm, or 62mm tape
• Font Size: 40-250 points
• Font: Browse to select any TrueType font

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Label Layout

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  ┌──────────┐                                  │
│  │ ████████ │                                  │
│  │ ██    ██ │     LARGE LABEL TEXT        📦   │  ← Tape height (29-62mm)
│  │ ████████ │                                  │
│  └──────────┘                                  │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
      ↑                  ↑                    ↑
   QR Code    Archivo Bold Text (100pt)   Box icon
   (85% height)                           watermark

   ←──────────── Variable length ────────────────→

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Project Structure

brother-ql-label-printer/
├── app/
│   ├── label_printer_gui.py    # Main GUI application
│   ├── print_label.py          # Label generation & printing
│   ├── assets/box.png          # Watermark icon
│   └── fonts/                  # Archivo Bold font
├── debian/                     # Debian packaging
├── screenshots/                # Documentation images
├── template-previews/          # Template examples
├── build-and-install.sh        # Build script
├── run.sh                      # Development launcher
└── requirements.txt            # Python dependencies

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Troubleshooting

Printer Not Found

# Check USB connection
lsusb | grep Brother
# Should show: ID 04f9:2042 Brother Industries, Ltd

If not detected:

1. Check USB cable connection
2. Ensure printer is powered on
3. Try a different USB port

Permission Denied

Ensure USB permissions are configured (see Installation section).

Multiple Printers

If you have multiple Brother QL printers:

1. Open Settings (Ctrl+,)
2. Click "Refresh" to scan for printers
3. Select the desired printer from the dropdown

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Dependencies

• Python 3.10+
• PyQt6 - GUI framework
• brother_ql - Printer communication
• Pillow - Image generation
• qrcode - QR code generation

All dependencies are automatically installed during setup.

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License

This project is open source. See individual files for licensing details.

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please test with actual hardware before submitting changes.

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Acknowledgments

• Uses the Archivo font family
• Built on the brother_ql library