Tape Module

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

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
}