Thermal Printer Scripts

A collection of small Python scripts that render and print 384px-wide receipts on a Phomemo / DP-S01–class BLE thermal printer. Each script fetches or generates something, lays it out as a 1-bit "card," and sends it to the printer over Bluetooth (or USB).

Everything shares one tiny toolkit (print_common.py) and a common set of CLI flags, so they all behave the same way.

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How it works

• print_common.py — the shared toolkit. A Card builder lays out content top-down (title, heading, line, para, kv, divider, image, footer) onto a 384px canvas, then finish() crops, frames, pads (top/bottom feed so the printer doesn't clip edges), and prints it. Also provides get_json / get_bytes (HTTP) and fit_dither (decode + scale + Floyd–Steinberg dither any image to 1-bit).
• s1_print.py — print dispatcher; picks the transport.
• direct_s1_ble_print.py / direct_s1_usb_print.py — the BLE / USB transports. print_s1_ble.py, s1_ble_console.py, ble_probe.py are pairing and diagnostic helpers.
• toy_thermal_printer.py, usb_camera_verify.py, make_gradient_test.py, sitecustomize.py — utilities and test rigs.
• s01_printer_config.json — printer identity / connection config.

Common flags

Almost every *_print.py accepts:

Flag	Meaning
--no-print	render the PNG only; don't send to the printer
--out PATH	where to write the PNG
--darkness 1-5	print darkness (default 3)
--bottom-feed N	blank feed at the bottom (default 24)

Generators take a --seed (printed on the card) so any result can be reproduced. Run any script with -h for its full options.

python pokemon_print.py --gen1            # random Gen-1 Pokémon card
python moon_print.py --no-print           # just render moon.png
python forecast_print.py --city Tokyo     # 7-day forecast with chart

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Scripts by category

Daily & live data

Script	Prints
calendar_month.py	Month calendar grid; circles today
daylight_print.py	Sunrise/sunset/solar-noon with a sun-arc diagram
moon_print.py	Tonight's moon phase, drawn with the correct lit fraction
onthisday_print.py	"On this day" historical events (Wikipedia) + photo
weather_print.py	Local current weather
forecast_print.py	7-day forecast for any city, with a temp chart
airquality_print.py	Air quality index + pollutants with a gauge
iss_print.py	Current position of the ISS
earthquake_print.py	Recent quakes (USGS) on a world dot-map
launches_print.py	Upcoming rocket launches with countdowns
epic_print.py	Full-disc Earth photo from NASA EPIC / DSCOVR
apod_print.py	NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
world_clock_print.py	Analog local clock + time in major cities

Finance

Script	Prints
crypto_print.py	Crypto price + 7-day chart (CoinGecko)
forex_print.py	Currency exchange rates + 30-day trend (ECB)

Reference & learning

Script	Prints
word_of_day_print.py	Word of the day with pronunciation & definitions
element_print.py	Periodic-table element tile + properties
quote_print.py	Inspirational quote, typeset
wiki_print.py	Random Wikipedia article summary
ascii_print.py	ASCII table (printable chars, dec/hex)
roman_print.py	Roman numeral converter + reference
multiplication_print.py	Times-table grid

Fun content (web APIs)

Script	Prints
meme_print.py	Random meme (Reddit via meme-api)
dark_joke_print.py	Dark-humour joke (JokeAPI)
joke_print.py	Random two-line joke
insult_print.py	Random insult (Evil Insult Generator)
facts_print.py	"Did you know?" mix of fact/joke APIs
bored_print.py	A random activity to beat boredom
cocktail_print.py	Cocktail recipe + photo (TheCocktailDB)
meal_print.py	Meal recipe + photo (TheMealDB)
pokemon_print.py	Pokémon trading card (PokeAPI)
pokemon_item_print.py	Live random Pokemon item from PokeAPI
anime_character_print.py	Anime character card (MyAnimeList)
starwars_print.py	Star Wars character dossier (SWAPI)
album_print.py	Album card + cover art (iTunes)
met_print.py	Met Museum artwork (open collection)
country_print.py	Country facts + flag
cat_print.py	Random cat photo
xkcd_print.py	Random xkcd comic
fake_human_print.py	"Dossier" for a GAN face that doesn't exist
randomuser_print.py	Random fake person profile
hacker_news_print.py	Top Hacker News stories
color_print.py	Colour of the day: name, codes, dithered swatch
internet_story_print.py	Internet story from a live story API or Gutendex
news_feed_print.py	Continuous live RSS headline tape
x_following_feed_print.py	Print only new tweets from watched X/Twitter RSS feeds

Personalised

Script	Prints
numerology_print.py	Name numerology (Destiny / Soul / Personality)
biorhythm_print.py	Physical/emotional/intellectual cycle chart

Divination

Script	Prints
tarot_print.py	Tarot card draw
iching_print.py	I Ching hexagram with changing lines
fortune_print.py	A fortune

Puzzles & games

Script	Prints
maze_print.py	Maze (with optional solution)
sudoku_print.py	Sudoku (with optional answer key)
wordsearch_print.py	Themed word search (with answer key)
nonogram_print.py	Picross puzzle (logic-verified unique solution)
magicsquare_print.py	Magic square (rows/cols/diagonals sum equal)
bingo_print.py	75-ball bingo cards
trivia_print.py	Multiple-choice trivia quiz + answer key
wheel_print.py	Decision wheel — picks one of your options

Tabletop / RPG

Script	Prints
dungeon_print.py	Roguelike dungeon map
dnd_print.py	Random D&D character (stats, race, class)
tavern_print.py	Fantasy tavern (menu, patrons, rumour)
magicitem_print.py	Random magic item / loot
superhero_print.py	Silly superhero origin card
dispatch_print.py	Fictional field dispatch / incident report
artifact_print.py	Fictional recovered artifact museum label
book_pick_print.py	Real book recommendation from Open Library
trail_report_print.py	Generated trail report with elevation profile
seed_packet_print.py	Fictional seed packet with growth profile
paper_digest_print.py	Curated digest of real research papers
poem_print.py	Short poem card from PoetryDB or fallback classics
arxiv_brief_print.py	arXiv paper brief with fallback summaries
abstract_snapshot_print.py	Paper abstract with text-derived pulse chart
etymology_snapshot_print.py	Dictionary entry with origin and definition-length chart
focus_plan_print.py	Generated focus plan with schedule timeline
micro_lesson_print.py	Short factual lesson with quiz
decision_memo_print.py	Generated decision memo with scored options
git_activity_print.py	Live Git worktree and commit activity brief
repo_metrics_print.py	Live repository file metrics and extension chart
process_snapshot_print.py	Live Windows process snapshot with memory chart
python_env_print.py	Live Python environment package inventory
event_log_print.py	Live Windows event log brief with level chart
github_events_print.py	Live GitHub public-events pulse
dog_card_print.py	Live random dog photo card from Dog CEO
duck_card_print.py	Live random duck photo card from Random-d.uk
fox_card_print.py	Live random fox photo card from RandomFox
card_hand_print.py	Live playing-card hand from Deck of Cards API
mtg_card_print.py	Live random Magic card from Scryfall
rickmorty_print.py	Live Rick and Morty character card
dnd_monster_print.py	Live D&D monster card from 5e API
yugioh_card_print.py	Live random Yu-Gi-Oh card from YGOPRODeck
random_anime_print.py	Live random anime card from Jikan
random_manga_print.py	Live random manga card from Jikan
space_crew_print.py	Live people-in-space crew card

Generative art

Script	Prints
cellular_print.py	Wolfram elementary cellular automaton
life_print.py	Conway's Game of Life, 2×2 evolution montage
fractal_print.py	Mandelbrot / Julia set
attractor_print.py	Clifford / de Jong strange attractor
hilbert_print.py	Hilbert space-filling curve
dragon_print.py	Heighway dragon curve
koch_print.py	Koch snowflake
spirograph_print.py	Hypotrochoid rosettes
truchet_print.py	Truchet arc tiling
phyllotaxis_print.py	Sunflower seed spiral (golden angle)
voronoi_print.py	Voronoi tessellation
mandala_print.py	N-fold symmetric mandala (colouring-book)
flowfield_print.py	Particle flow field
tree_print.py	Recursive fractal tree
dna_print.py	DNA double helix from a random sequence
constellation_print.py	Invented constellation + mythology
invaders_print.py	Swarm of random symmetric pixel sprites
aquarium_print.py	Little fish-tank scene
pcb_print.py	Generative circuit-board art
metro_print.py	Generative metro map of an invented city
sort_print.py	Sorting-algorithm visualization

Music

Script	Prints
chord_print.py	Guitar chord diagram
piano_print.py	Piano scale diagram

Novelty & utility

Script	Prints
barcode_print.py	Scannable Code 39 barcode
morse_print.py	Message in Morse code + key
eyechart_print.py	Snellen eye chart
boardingpass_print.py	Fake boarding pass
habit_tracker_print.py	Monthly habit tracker grid
binaryclock_print.py	Current time as binary-coded decimal
paper_print.py	Blank templates (graph / dots / lined / staff / iso)
photo_print.py	Print any image file (dithered)
map_print.py	Map of a location
terrain_map_print.py	Terrain / topographic map

Dev dashboards

Script	Prints
github_print.py	GitHub user stats
repo_print.py	GitHub repository stats
claude_session_print.py	Claude Code session summary
codex_status_print.py	Codex status
neofetch_print.py	System info, neofetch-style
terminal_print.py	Real command output or simulated terminal transcript
live_stream_print.py	Continuous live Wikimedia edit stream tape

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Setup

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\activate           # Windows
pip install pillow bleak         # Pillow for rendering, bleak for BLE

Configure your printer target with S1_BLUETOOTH_TARGET or pass --bluetooth; S1_BLUETOOTH_ADDRESS can provide an optional fallback BLE address. The scripts also accept S1_TRANSPORT / PRINT_TRANSPORT to force a transport.

Writing a new script

from print_common import ROOT, Card, fit_dither, get_json, get_bytes

data = get_json("https://api.example.com/thing")
card = Card()
card.title("MY THING")
card.image(fit_dither(get_bytes(data["image"]), card.inner_w, 320))
card.para(data["text"])
card.footer("example.com")
card.finish(ROOT / "thing.png", do_print=True)

Card handles wrapping, dithering, the border, and the top/bottom feed so the printer doesn't clip the edges.