My/Proj/Get Labelmaker

• Get Labelmaker

  • Goal: a personal asset system. Every possession gets a permanent ID, a record in a database, and a printed QR label. The label printer is one output device of that system.

  • Requirements

    • Stable identifiers: each possession has one permanent ID and one matching record.
    • Generated labels: the inventory software, and later AI agents, produce and print QR labels without retyping data into a printer maker's app.
    • Labels that last on camping gear, cables, adapters, storage bins, and objects of other sizes and materials.
    • Strong macOS automation matters more than a handheld unit's keyboard.

  • Software

    • Homebox already has nested locations, asset records, photos, custom fields, label templates, a REST API, and a third-party MCP server. Try it with that server before buying a printer. That settles label formats, minimum QR dimensions, and automation needs.
    • Homebox's built-in label presets include Brother DK rolls, which are the QL line's stock. A P-touch loaded with TZe tape takes a Custom size in millimetres.
    • Open question: whether Homebox models kits and packing lists with weight totals, or whether that needs a layer on top.

  • Printers

    • Brother P-touch printers take TZe laminated tape.
    • PT-P710BT (P-touch CUBE Plus): USB to a Mac, Bluetooth to a phone, rechargeable battery, TZe tape up to 24 mm. Candidate for a USB-connected prototype on the Mac.
    • PT-P750W: USB and Wi-Fi, automatic half cut, TZe tape up to 24 mm. Candidate if a networked print service runs permanently.
    • PT-P910BT (P-touch CUBE XP): 360 dpi, TZe tape up to 36 mm, USB-C and Bluetooth. Suits large asset tags or denser QR codes, and goes beyond what a first version needs.

  • Printing from a Mac

    • nbuchwitz/ptouch: Python library and command-line tool for Brother P-touch printers over USB or network. It prints text and image labels, so a generated QR image goes straight to the printer without Brother's design app. Supports the PT-P710BT, PT-P750W, PT-P910BT, and others.
      • On the PT-P710BT, multi-label jobs use full cut, since the printer ignores the half-cut command.
    • danielrosehill/ptouch-cube-print-bridge: an HTTP print bridge for a PT-P710BT wired by USB to a home server, with snippets for a home-inventory web app that renders the QR label in the browser. It uses the C tool ptouch-print with a patch for the PT-P710BT. An early project, and a precedent for this architecture.
    • Test the whole print path on macOS before relying on it.

  • Data model

    • Identity, storage location, and kit membership are separate relationships.
    • Asset: a Therm-a-Rest sleeping pad, 410 g. Its weight is recorded once.
    • Location: Home / Closet / Camping / Bin 03.
    • Kit or collection: a three-season backpacking kit.
    • Label: a QR code that identifies asset 7K3P.
    • The pad lives in Bin 03 and belongs to several saved packing lists. A trip's total weight is computed from the selected items and quantities. A packing list separates base weight, consumables, and worn weight.

  • Labels

    • A label carries only an opaque ID or URL, such as https://assets.example.com/a/7K3P. The URL stays fixed when the item changes location, is renamed, or changes weight. A phone scans it, signs in to the application, and loads the current record.
    • Location and other personal details stay off the physical label.
    • Cables and dongles: a short human-readable ID or a cable flag. A QR code that small is unreadable.
    • Fabric camping gear: a QR-coded hang tag on a loop can work better than adhesive.

  • Workflow

    • An agent creates an asset record, attaches a photo and specifications, requests a label print, and later updates the location. The inventory database stays the source of truth.
    • Later: scan an item, then scan a location, and the system records the move. Example: scan the sleeping pad, then Bin 03.