Tape Module

The tape module provides tape type definitions for Brother P-touch label printers.

Tape types for Brother P-touch label printers.

class ptouch.tape.Tape[source]

Bases: ABC

Abstract base class for P-touch tapes.

Subclasses must define width_mm as a class attribute.

width_mm

Width of the tape in millimeters (class attribute).

Type:: int

width_mm: int

class ptouch.tape.Tape3_5mm[source]

Bases: Tape

3.5mm tape.

Note: Media size reported by printer is 4mm.

width_mm: int = 4

class ptouch.tape.Tape6mm[source]

Bases: Tape

6mm tape.

width_mm: int = 6

class ptouch.tape.Tape9mm[source]

Bases: Tape

9mm tape.

width_mm: int = 9

class ptouch.tape.Tape12mm[source]

Bases: Tape

12mm tape.

width_mm: int = 12

class ptouch.tape.Tape18mm[source]

Bases: Tape

18mm tape.

width_mm: int = 18

class ptouch.tape.Tape24mm[source]

Bases: Tape

24mm tape.

width_mm: int = 24

class ptouch.tape.Tape36mm[source]

Bases: Tape

36mm tape.

width_mm: int = 36

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube[source]

Bases: Tape

Base class for heat shrink tubes (HSe series).

Heat shrink tubes shrink when heated to wrap around cables and wires. They have different printable area constraints than laminated tapes.

Note: Heat shrink tubes are NOT supported on PT-P910BT.

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube5_8mm[source]

Bases: HeatShrinkTube

5.8mm heat shrink tube (2:1 series).

width_mm: int = 6

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube8_8mm[source]

Bases: HeatShrinkTube

8.8mm heat shrink tube (2:1 series).

width_mm: int = 9

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube11_7mm[source]

Bases: HeatShrinkTube

11.7mm heat shrink tube (2:1 series).

width_mm: int = 12

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube17_7mm[source]

Bases: HeatShrinkTube

17.7mm heat shrink tube (2:1 series).

width_mm: int = 18

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube23_6mm[source]

Bases: HeatShrinkTube

23.6mm heat shrink tube (2:1 series).

width_mm: int = 24

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube3_1_5_2mm[source]

Bases: HeatShrinkTube

5.2mm heat shrink tube (3:1 series).

width_mm: int = 5

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube3_1_9_0mm[source]

Bases: HeatShrinkTube

9.0mm heat shrink tube (3:1 series).

width_mm: int = 9

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube3_1_11_2mm[source]

Bases: HeatShrinkTube

11.2mm heat shrink tube (3:1 series).

width_mm: int = 11

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube3_1_21_0mm[source]

Bases: HeatShrinkTube

21.0mm heat shrink tube (3:1 series).

width_mm: int = 21

class ptouch.tape.HeatShrinkTube3_1_31_0mm[source]

Bases: HeatShrinkTube

31.0mm heat shrink tube (3:1 series).

width_mm: int = 31

class ptouch.tape.LaminatedTape[source]

Bases: Tape

Deprecated: Use Tape instead.

Deprecated since version The: LaminatedTape class is deprecated. Use Tape directly.

__init__()[source]

class ptouch.tape.LaminatedTape3_5mm

Bases: Tape3_5mm

Deprecated: Use Tape3_5mm instead.

__init__()

class ptouch.tape.LaminatedTape6mm

Bases: Tape6mm

Deprecated: Use Tape6mm instead.

__init__()

class ptouch.tape.LaminatedTape9mm

Bases: Tape9mm

Deprecated: Use Tape9mm instead.

__init__()

class ptouch.tape.LaminatedTape12mm

Bases: Tape12mm

Deprecated: Use Tape12mm instead.

__init__()

class ptouch.tape.LaminatedTape18mm

Bases: Tape18mm

Deprecated: Use Tape18mm instead.

__init__()

class ptouch.tape.LaminatedTape24mm

Bases: Tape24mm

Deprecated: Use Tape24mm instead.

__init__()

class ptouch.tape.LaminatedTape36mm

Bases: Tape36mm

Deprecated: Use Tape36mm instead.

__init__()

Supported Tapes

TZe Series Tapes

TZe tapes are the most common tape type for Brother P-touch printers.

Available Widths

Tape3_5mm - 3.5mm tape
Tape6mm - 6mm tape
Tape9mm - 9mm tape
Tape12mm - 12mm tape
Tape18mm - 18mm tape
Tape24mm - 24mm tape
Tape36mm - 36mm tape (P900 series only)

Compatibility

Tape Width	E550W	P750W	P900
3.5mm	✓	✓	✓
6mm	✓	✓	✓
9mm	✓	✓	✓
12mm	✓	✓	✓
18mm	✓	✓	✓
24mm	✓	✓	✓
36mm	✗	✗	✓

HSe Series Heat Shrink Tubes

Heat shrink tubes are cylindrical media that shrink when heated to wrap around cables and wires for durable, professional labeling. Supported on PT-E550W, PT-P750W, PT-P900, PT-P900W, and PT-P950NW.

Available Sizes - 2:1 Series

HeatShrinkTube5_8mm - 5.8mm tube (shrinks to 1/2 diameter)
HeatShrinkTube8_8mm - 8.8mm tube
HeatShrinkTube11_7mm - 11.7mm tube
HeatShrinkTube17_7mm - 17.7mm tube
HeatShrinkTube23_6mm - 23.6mm tube

Available Sizes - 3:1 Series

HeatShrinkTube3_1_5_2mm - 5.2mm tube (shrinks to 1/3 diameter)
HeatShrinkTube3_1_9_0mm - 9.0mm tube
HeatShrinkTube3_1_11_2mm - 11.2mm tube
HeatShrinkTube3_1_21_0mm - 21.0mm tube
HeatShrinkTube3_1_31_0mm - 31.0mm tube

Compatibility

Tube Size	E550W	P750W	P900	P900W	P950NW
2:1 (all)	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
3:1 (all)	✓*	✓*	✓	✓	✓

* E550W and P750W do not support the 31.0mm 3:1 tube

Note

PT-P910BT does not support heat shrink tubes due to hardware limitations.

Usage Example

from ptouch import PTP900, TextLabel, HeatShrinkTube5_8mm
from PIL import ImageFont

printer = PTP900(connection)
font = ImageFont.truetype("/path/to/font.ttf", 36)

# Create label for heat shrink tube
label = TextLabel(
    "ETH0",
    HeatShrinkTube5_8mm,
    font=font,
    align=TextLabel.Align.CENTER
)
printer.print(label)

Tape Configuration

Each printer model has specific pin configurations for each tape width. The library automatically handles this mapping.

Pin Configuration

For each tape width, the printer needs to know:

Left margin pins - Unused pins on the left
Printable area pins - Pins used for actual printing
Right margin pins - Unused pins on the right

The sum must equal the printer’s total pin count (128 for E550W/P750W, 560 for P900 series).

Example: 12mm Tape on PT-E550W

Left pins: 29
Printable pins: 70
Right pins: 29
Total: 128 (matches printer’s TOTAL_PINS)

Example Usage

Specifying Tape Type

from ptouch import TextLabel, Tape36mm
from PIL import ImageFont

# Create label with 36mm tape
font = ImageFont.load_default()
label = TextLabel("Text", Tape36mm, font=font)

Checking Tape Compatibility

from ptouch import PTE550W, Tape36mm

printer = PTE550W(connection)

# Check if tape is supported
if Tape36mm in printer.supported_tapes:
    print("Tape is supported")
else:
    print("This tape is not compatible with this printer")

Available Tape Widths

from ptouch import PTP900

printer = PTP900(connection)

# Get all supported tape types
for tape_type in printer.supported_tapes:
    print(f"Supported: {tape_type.__name__} ({tape_type.width_mm}mm)")

Adding Custom Tape Types

See Adding Support for New Devices for instructions on adding support for new tape types.

Example:

from ptouch.tape import Tape

class Tape48mm(Tape):
    """48mm tape."""
    width_mm = 48

Then add the pin configuration to your printer class:

from ptouch.printer import TapeConfig

PIN_CONFIGS = {
    Tape48mm: TapeConfig(
        left_pins=0,
        print_pins=680,
        right_pins=0
    ),
    # ... other tape configs
}