@thermal-label/brother-ql-node

Node.js USB and TCP driver for Brother QL label printers.

Install

pnpm add @thermal-label/brother-ql-node

For image file support (PNG/JPEG), also install:

pnpm add @napi-rs/canvas

Quick Start

import { openPrinter, MEDIA } from '@thermal-label/brother-ql-node';

const printer = await openPrinter();
await printer.printText('Hello QL', MEDIA[259]!);
await printer.close();

Discover Printers

import { listPrinters } from '@thermal-label/brother-ql-node';
const printers = listPrinters();
console.log(printers);

Print an Image

await printer.printImage('/path/to/image.png', MEDIA[259]!);

Two-Color Printing (QL-800 series)

import { openPrinter, MEDIA, renderText } from '@thermal-label/brother-ql-node';
import { createBitmap } from '@mbtech-nl/bitmap';

const printer = await openPrinter();
const media = MEDIA[259]!;
const black = renderText('Hello', { scaleX: 2, scaleY: 2 });
const red = renderText('World', { scaleX: 2, scaleY: 2 });
await printer.printTwoColor(black, red, media);
await printer.close();

TCP/Network Printing

import { openPrinterTcp, MEDIA } from '@thermal-label/brother-ql-node';

const printer = await openPrinterTcp('192.168.1.100');
await printer.printText('Hello Network', MEDIA[259]!);
await printer.close();

Requirements

• Node.js >=24.0.0
• Linux: add a udev rule for raw USB access without sudo:

  SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="04f9", MODE="0666"

• @napi-rs/canvas is optional — required only for image file decoding

License

MIT © Mannes Brak