tepra.tm2

Make label files for KING JIM's TEPRA LINK 2 app.

Write-up: 🇯🇵 JP

TEPRA LINK 2 saves labels as .tm2 files. tepra.tm2 writes them. Type a list once, and get one label per line. Then print from the app, as usual.

It works from an AI assistant over MCP, from the command line, and from Go.

Important

.tm2 is the format of TEPRA LINK 2 only. TEPRA Creator (テプラクリエイター), the app for Windows, does not open these files. tepra.tm2 does not write files for TEPRA Creator.

Warning

This is an unofficial tool. KING JIM does not document the .tm2 format.

tepra.tm2 writes every key that files from the app have.
Each setting was checked on the screen of TEPRA LINK 2 for Android, with an SR-MK1.
A new release of the app may change the format.

Installation

Tool

Way	How
mise (recommended)	`mise use -g github:mpyw/tepra.tm2`
A release binary	Download the archive for your OS and CPU from Releases. Put `tm2` on your `PATH`. `checksums.txt` has their SHA-256.
From source	`go install github.com/mpyw/tepra.tm2/cmd/tm2@latest`

Releases cover macOS, Linux and Windows, each on amd64 and arm64.

MCP Server

The MCP server is tm2 mcp.

Assistant	How
Claude Desktop, on macOS or Windows	Download `tm2.mcpb` and open it. Claude Desktop asks you to install it. It needs nothing else installed
Claude Code	First install `tm2` as a tool, as above. Then run `claude mcp add tm2 -- tm2 mcp`
Another assistant	First install `tm2` as a tool. Add a server whose command is the absolute path of `tm2`, with the argument `mcp`

Important

tm2.mcpb adds the tools to the chat of Claude Desktop only. The Code tab of Claude Desktop runs Claude Code, and its sessions do not get them.

Library

go get github.com/mpyw/tepra.tm2

The package is named tm2.

Usage: As an MCP Server

Ask for labels in your own words. The assistant writes a .tm2 file with the MCP tools. It can also read a .tm2 file and change it, one the app saved too. Then print the file from TEPRA LINK 2.

Usage: As a Tool

One label of two lines:

tm2 text -o sample.tm2 $'サンプル\nテキスト'

wrote sample.tm2: 1 label, 18.2 mm long, on 12 mm tape

Tip

$'...' turns \n into a line break in bash and zsh. A line break inside quotes works too. In PowerShell, write "サンプル`nテキスト".

A label per row of a CSV file, each in the size that fits it:

tm2 pages -o pages.tm2 items.csv

wrote pages.tm2: 3 pages, 12.0 to 22.5 mm long, on 12 mm tape

Then print the file from TEPRA LINK 2.

Usage: As a Library

f, err := tm2.NewPages(
	tm2.Tape12mm,
	[]string{"1行目\n2行目", "1行目"},
	tm2.WithAlign(tm2.AlignCenter),
)
if err != nil {
	return err
}
return f.WriteFile("items.tm2")

References

All: Kinds of label, Tapes, Layout, Print the file
MCP: MCP tools
Tool: Commands, The CSV file, Tool options, tm2 inspect, tm2 edit
All: Patches
Library: Functions, Library options, Option types, Errors, Reading files

Kinds of label

	text	pages	pour (流し込み)
Labels in a file	One	One per page	One per value
Font size and length	Fitted to the label	Fitted to each label	Same for every label, fitted to the longest
Edit in the app	As one label	Page by page	As pour data, in a table
QR codes and barcodes	No	No	Yes
MCP tool	`create_text_label`	`create_label_pages`	`create_pour_labels`
Command	`tm2 text`	`tm2 pages`	`tm2 pour`
Go	`NewText`	`NewPages`	`NewPour`

Tip

For a list of things to label, use pages. Each label gets the size that fits it. Give a length, and every label is as long. Use pour only for QR codes and barcodes, or to edit the labels as one table in the app. Pour lays text out less well: see Layout.

Tapes

Width	Go
4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36 and 50 mm	`Tape4mm` to `Tape50mm`, or `LookupTape(width)`

The sizes of each tape come from a file the app wrote on it.

Layout

Size and length:

Text fills the height of the tape, unless a font size is given.
A label is as long as what is on it, and at least 12 mm with its margins. The app makes no shorter label.
A label of a fixed length has its content centred. Text too long for it gets smaller, unless a font size is given.
All the labels of a pour file have one font size, the one that fits the value of most lines.

What you see when you edit the label in the app:

A border is an empty box of its own, around the text. A border set on a pour drawer itself (BIType) does not show.
Inverted text of more than one line is a box per line. In a pour file, each line is a column of its own: Label, Label 2 and on.

What pour cannot do:

The text sits at the left of its frame. The app ignores the alignment of a pour drawer.
Inverted text is black only behind the letters, not over the whole frame.
The text keeps its font size, and its width is an estimate. Bold text and wide letters, such as w and m, can run past the frame.

Pages with a length have none of these limits.

Note

On 4 mm tape, a border's padding of 1.5 mm leaves no room for text. Give a padding of 0.3 mm there.

Print the file

Send the .tm2 file to your phone, such as through Google Drive.
Open it with TEPRA LINK 2, through the share menu of the OS.
Check the labels in the app, and print.

MCP tools

tm2 mcp serves these on stdin and stdout:

Tool	Kind	What it does
`create_text_label`	text	Writes a file of one label
`create_label_pages`	pages	Writes a file of one page per string
`create_pour_labels`	pour	Writes a pour file: one label per string
`inspect_label`		Describes a `.tm2` file. With `full`, it also returns every key as JSON, and each picture
`edit_label`		Changes a `.tm2` file by a patch

Inputs:

The tools that write a file take the tool options, in snake case.
A length in mm ends in _mm, and a picture in _path. Examples: font_size, rotate, padding_mm, icon_path.
code and column are for create_pour_labels only.
Paths must be absolute, for the file and for pictures.
A file is not replaced unless overwrite is true. edit_label changes the file at path in place without it. It writes to output instead when given. The label then takes the name of output in the app, unless the patch sets /fileName.
A line break in a label is \n.

Commands

Command	What it does
`tm2 text [options] text`	Writes one label. A line break in the text breaks it into lines
`tm2 pages [options] [file.csv]`	Writes a page per row of the file
`tm2 pour [options] [file.csv]`	Writes a pour label per row of the file
`tm2 inspect [--json] file.tm2`	Shows what a `.tm2` file holds
`tm2 edit [-o out.tm2] [-f] file.tm2 [patch.json]`	Changes a `.tm2` file by a patch
`tm2 mcp`	Serves the MCP tools on stdin and stdout

A pour file of the same items.csv:

tm2 pour -o items.tm2 items.csv

wrote items.tm2: 3 labels, 12.0 mm each, on 12 mm tape

A QR code per URL, one label each:

tm2 pour --code qr -o qr.tm2 urls.csv

wrote qr.tm2: 2 labels, 12.2 mm each, on 12 mm tape

A label of a fixed length, with a rounded border:

tm2 text --length 60 --border rounded --align center -o fixed.tm2 サンプル

wrote fixed.tm2: 1 label, 60.0 mm long, on 12 mm tape

Text turned 90 degrees, and text in white on black:

tm2 text --rotate 90 -o turned.tm2 $'サンプル\nテキスト'
tm2 text --fill inverted --bold -o inverted.tm2 サンプル

wrote turned.tm2: 1 label, 12.0 mm long, on 12 mm tape
wrote inverted.tm2: 1 label, 34.5 mm long, on 12 mm tape

The CSV file

pages and pour read a CSV file of one column. Without a file, or with -, they read stdin.

Each row is a label.
A line break in a value breaks the label into lines.
A value in double quotes may hold line breaks and commas.
A double quote in a value is doubled, inside double quotes: "He said ""hi""".
Blank rows are skipped. So are spaces around a value.
A row of two or more columns is an error.
The file must be UTF-8. In Excel, save it as "CSV UTF-8".
Rows may end in CRLF, LF or CR.

This items.csv makes three labels:

"1行目
2行目
3行目"
"1行目
2行目"
1行目

Tip

A file with one value per line is a CSV file of one column already. Quote only the values that hold a line break, a comma or a double quote. Spreadsheets quote such values when they save a CSV file.

Tool options

text, pages and pour all take these. In pages and pour they apply to every label.

Option	Default	Meaning
`-o`, `--output`	(required)	The `.tm2` file to write. Its name, without `.tm2`, names the label in the app
`-f`, `--force`	off	Replace the file when it exists
`--tape`	`12`	Tape width in mm: `4`, `6`, `9`, `12`, `18`, `24`, `36` or `50`
`--font-size`	fit	Font size in points. By default the text fills the tape
`--bold`	off	Bold text
`--align`	`left`	Where each line goes across: `left`, `center` or `right`
`--valign`	`middle`	Where the text goes down: `top`, `middle` or `bottom`
`--rotate`	`0`	Turn the text clockwise: `0`, `90`, `180` or `270` degrees
`--vertical`	off	Write the text top to bottom
`--fill`	`none`	The box behind the text: `none`, `inverted` (white on black) or `shaded` (a light dotted box). [BUG WORKAROUND] With `inverted`, each line gets its own box. The app inverts only the last line of a box
`--border`	`none`	The line around the label: `none`, `box`, `rounded`, `top-bottom`, `top` or `bottom`
`--border-width`	`0.7`	The width of the border. `0.35` is thin, `2.8` is thick
`--icon`	none	A PNG, JPEG or GIF file to put before the text, as high as the tape prints
`--background`	none	A PNG, JPEG or GIF file to stretch under the whole label, such as a frame
`--image-mode`	`threshold`	How pictures turn black and white: `threshold`, `diffusion` or `screen`
`--image-threshold`	`128`	The grey level, `0` to `255`, below which a pixel is black
`--padding`	`0`	Blank between the label's edges and its text, in mm. `1.5` with a border
`--margin`	`1`	Blank tape before and after the label, in mm, `1` to `500`
`--length`	fit	Make the label this long, margins included, in mm, `10` to `3000`

Only pour takes these:

Option	Default	Meaning
`--code`	`text`	Show each value as a code: `text`, `qr`, `code39`, `code128` or `jan13`
`--column`	`Label`	Title of the pour column in the app

Note

--code jan13 takes 12 digits. The app adds the check digit.

tm2 inspect

tm2 inspect shows what a .tm2 file holds. It reads files the app wrote, too.

$ tm2 inspect items.tm2
file:    items.tm2 (version 2.0.0, saved 2026/10/18 10:15)
tape:    12 mm, pour, label 12.0 mm long, margin 1.0 mm
drawers: /documents/0/drawers
   0 pour   x   1.6  y   1.1  w   6.7  h  10.2 mm  column 0, size 7.5, OTBGoStdR-Normal, keeps its size
rows:    3, column "Label"
    1  1行目 / 2行目 / 3行目
    2  1行目 / 2行目
    3  1行目

A file of pages shows each page. Pages count from 1, as in the app:

$ tm2 inspect pages.tm2
file:    pages.tm2 (version 2.0.0, saved 2026/10/18 10:15)
page 1:
tape:    12 mm, plain, label 12.0 mm long, margin 1.0 mm
drawers: /documents/0/drawers
   0 text   x   1.6  y   1.1  w   6.7  h  10.2 mm  size 7.5, OTBGoStdR-Normal, "1行目\n2行目\n3行目"
page 2:
tape:    12 mm, plain, label 12.2 mm long, margin 1.0 mm
drawers: /documents/1/drawers
   0 text   x   0.0  y   1.1  w  10.2  h  10.2 mm  size 11.5, OTBGoStdR-Normal, "1行目\n2行目"
page 3:
tape:    12 mm, plain, label 22.5 mm long, margin 1.0 mm
drawers: /documents/2/drawers
   0 text   x   0.0  y   1.1  w  20.5  h  10.2 mm  size 23, OTBGoStdR-Normal, "1行目"

Each drawer starts with its index. drawers: gives the path of the list, for a patch.
After the size and the font come the settings that differ from a new drawer, such as align center or border box 0.7.
--json prints every key of the file, at the paths a patch takes. A picture shows as its size.

tm2 edit

tm2 edit changes a .tm2 file by a patch. It reads the patch from a file, or from stdin without one. Without -o, it changes the file in place. With -o, the label takes the name of the new file in the app, as a label made there would. A patch that sets /fileName keeps its own name.

Warning

An edit in place writes over the file, as --force does. A failed write, such as on a full disk, can leave it broken. Keep a copy of a file the app saved, or write to another with -o.

This patch.json changes the third row, and centres the text:

[
  {"op": "replace", "path": "/tableData/2/0", "value": "4行目"},
  {"op": "replace", "path": "/documents/0/drawers/0/TIAlignment", "value": 1}
]

tm2 edit items.tm2 patch.json

wrote items.tm2: 3 labels, 12.0 mm each, on 12 mm tape

Patches

A patch is a JSON Patch (RFC 6902). It applies to the file as tm2 inspect --json prints it. tm2 edit, edit_label and File.Patch take it.

Op	What it does
`replace`	Sets the value of a key, or of an item of an array
`add`	Puts an item in an array. `-` as the index puts it last. On a key, it is `replace`
`remove`	Takes an item out of an array
`move`, `copy`	Moves or copies a value from `from` to `path`
`test`	Fails the patch unless the value at `path` is `value`

What a patch keeps:

Rule	Why
A key is not added or removed	The app writes every key. A new key would be one no file of the app has
A whole file, document or drawer put in place needs every key it has, and no other	A key left out would be written as 0, not as the app sets it. So `type` changes only with the keys of the new type
A drawer added starts as the app makes one of its `type`: `text`, `pour` or `image`	It needs only `type` and the keys to change. Its frame is the label's frame
A drawer of a type tm2 does not know may move, but not be copied or changed	It is written as it was read, so its identifier cannot change
The empty key after a drawer's `identifier` stays	The app writes it
A copy of a document or drawer, or one with no identifier, gets a new identifier	The app gives each one its own
`hasPlaceholder` is cleared once `TIText` has text	The app shows the placeholder instead of the text while it is set
With two or more pages, each gets `MultiplePage`	The app lists the pages only then
A row of `tableData` gets empty cells up to 50	The app writes 50 columns
A picture is checked, and a JPEG or GIF is made PNG	The app stores pictures as PNG
A value the app crashes on fails the patch	Such a file is never written

Either every operation applies, or nothing changes.

Important

A patch does not lay the label out again. Text made longer keeps its frame, and the app fits it there. Set frame too when the size must change. A frame is x, y, width and height in points. 1 mm is 2.835 points.

Warning

[BUG WORKAROUND]

Inverted text (TIFillMode 1) can have only one line in a text box. With two or more lines, the app prints only the last line in white. The other lines print in black. The app's preview does not show this. Put each line in its own text box, one under the other, with no gap. tm2 text --fill inverted and the other commands already do this.

image_path in an operation gives a picture, from a PNG, JPEG or GIF file. It is the value of a path that ends in /image, given with no value. Or it is the image of a drawer of type image, given as the value:

[{"op": "add", "path": "/documents/0/drawers/-", "value": {"type": "image", "frame": [0, 0, 20, 20]}, "image_path": "/path/to/logo.png"}]

The numbers of the keys that show in the app:

Key	Values
`TIAlignment`	`0` left, `1` center, `2` right
`TIVerticalAlignment`	`0` top, `1` middle, `2` bottom
`TIFillMode`	`0` none, `1` inverted, `2` shaded
`Rotate`	`0` none, `1` 180°, `2` 270°, `3` 90°
`BIType`	`0` none, `1` box, `2` rounded, `3` top-bottom, `4` top, `5` bottom
`Attribute` (pour)	`0` text, `1` QR, `2` CODE39, `3` CODE128, `4` JAN-13
`imageMode`	`1` diffusion, `2` threshold, `3` screen
`TIFontName`	`OTBGoStdR-Normal` regular, `OTBGoStdB-Normal` bold

Functions

Function	Returns
`NewText(tape, text, opts...)`	A file of one label
`NewPages(tape, texts, opts...)`	A file of a page per string, each fitted
`NewPour(tape, column, values, opts...)`	A pour file of a label per string, under the column's title
`ReadFile(path)`, `ParseFile(r)`	A file read back

A File writes itself with WriteFile or WriteTo. Patch changes it by a patch.

f, err := tm2.ReadFile("items.tm2")
if err != nil {
	return err
}
err = f.Patch(tm2.PatchOp{
	Op:    "replace",
	Path:  "/tableData/2/0",
	Value: jsontext.Value(`"4行目"`),
})
if err != nil {
	return err
}
return f.WriteFile("items.tm2")

Library options

Each With function sets one thing. What no option sets is as the app sets it.

Option	Default	Meaning
`WithName(name)`	`"label"`	Names the label in the app, without `.tm2`
`WithTime(t)`	now	The file's date
`WithFontSize(pt)`	fit	Font size in points. By default the text fills the tape
`WithBold()`	off	Bold text
`WithAlign(a)`	`AlignLeft`	Where each line goes across: `AlignLeft`, `AlignCenter` or `AlignRight`
`WithVerticalAlign(a)`	`VerticalAlignMiddle`	Where the text goes down: `VerticalAlignTop`, `VerticalAlignMiddle` or `VerticalAlignBottom`
`WithRotation(r)`	`RotationNone`	Turn the text clockwise: `RotationNone`, `Rotation90`, `Rotation180` or `Rotation270`
`WithVertical()`	off	Write the text top to bottom
`WithFill(m)`	`FillNone`	The box behind the text: `FillNone`, `FillInverted` or `FillShaded`
`WithBorder(b)`	`BorderNone`	The line around the label: `BorderNone`, `BorderBox`, `BorderRounded`, `BorderTopBottom`, `BorderTop` or `BorderBottom`
`WithBorderWidth(w)`	`0.7`	The width of the border
`WithIcon(picture)`	none	PNG, JPEG or GIF bytes to put before the text
`WithBackground(picture)`	none	PNG, JPEG or GIF bytes to stretch under the whole label
`WithImageMode(m)`	`ImageModeThreshold`	How pictures turn black and white: `ImageModeThreshold`, `ImageModeDiffusion` or `ImageModeScreen`
`WithImageThreshold(level)`	`128`	The grey level, 0 to 255, below which a pixel is black
`WithPaddingMM(mm)`	`0`	Blank between the label's edges and its text. `1.5` with a border
`WithMarginMM(mm)`	`1`	Blank tape before and after the label, 1 to 500
`WithLengthMM(mm)`	fit	Make the label this long, margins included, 10 to 3000
`WithCode(k)`	`CodeText`	Pour only. Show each value as a code: `CodeText`, `CodeQR`, `CodeCODE39`, `CodeCODE128` or `CodeJAN13`

Option types

The type of an option says which functions take it:

Type	Returned by	Taken by
`Option`	Every `With` function but `WithCode`	`NewText`, `NewPages` and `NewPour`
`PourOnlyOption`	`WithCode`	`NewPour`

So WithCode given to NewText does not compile.
To build a list of options, make it a []tm2.TextOption or a []tm2.PourOption.

f, err := tm2.NewPour(
	tm2.Tape12mm,
	"URL",
	[]string{"https://example.com/"},
	tm2.WithCode(tm2.CodeQR),
)

Errors

Every error wraps one of these. Test it with errors.Is. Errors of the file system come back as they are, such as fs.ErrNotExist.

Error	When
`ErrInvalidOptions`	An option out of range, such as a margin under 1 mm
`ErrCrashesApp`	A value the app crashes on, such as alignment 3. It is never written
`ErrTapeNotSupported`	A tape width whose sizes are not known
`ErrUnknownName`	A name `ParseRotation`, `ParseCodeKind` and the like do not know
`ErrNoText`	No text, no values or pages, or one of blanks only
`ErrBadText`	Text that is not UTF-8
`ErrBadFile`	A file that is not a `.tm2` file the package can read, or one it cannot encode
`ErrOverLimit`	More rows, characters or columns than the app takes, or a label over 3000 mm
`ErrNoRoom`	No room on the tape. Padding takes it, or there are too many lines, a line too long to run across, a font size too large, or a fixed length too short
`ErrBadImage`	A picture that is not PNG, JPEG or GIF, or over 8192 by 8192 pixels
`ErrBadCode`	A value the kind of code cannot hold, such as 13 digits for JAN-13
`ErrBadPatch`	An operation `Patch` cannot apply, such as one that adds a key, or a patch that makes no `.tm2` file

Reading files

ReadFile and ParseFile read a .tm2 file, from the app or from this package.
Drawer types the package does not know are kept as RawDrawer.
Keys it does not know, of the file, a document or a drawer, are kept in their Unknown field.
Writing the file back keeps both as they were.

License

tepra.tm2 is under the MIT License.

The mascot is a Go gopher holding a strip of label tape. The Go gopher was designed by Renée French, under CC BY 4.0.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
.agents/skills		.agents/skills
.github		.github
cmd/tm2		cmd/tm2
mcpb		mcpb
testdata		testdata
.claude		.claude
.declscope.yaml		.declscope.yaml
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitignore		.gitignore
.golangci.yml		.golangci.yml
.goreleaser.yaml		.goreleaser.yaml
AGENTS.md		AGENTS.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
align.go		align.go
align_test.go		align_test.go
border.go		border.go
border_test.go		border_test.go
checks_test.go		checks_test.go
code.go		code.go
code_test.go		code_test.go
codecov.yml		codecov.yml
coverage_test.go		coverage_test.go
document.go		document.go
drawer.go		drawer.go
drawer_test.go		drawer_test.go
err.go		err.go
file.go		file.go
file_test.go		file_test.go
fill.go		fill.go
fill_test.go		fill_test.go
fixture_test.go		fixture_test.go
go.mod		go.mod
go.sum		go.sum
image.go		image.go
image_test.go		image_test.go
layout.go		layout.go
layout_test.go		layout_test.go
mise.toml		mise.toml
mm.go		mm.go
name.go		name.go
option.go		option.go
option_test.go		option_test.go
option_with.go		option_with.go
pages.go		pages.go
pages_test.go		pages_test.go
patch.go		patch.go
patch_test.go		patch_test.go
pour.go		pour.go
pour_test.go		pour_test.go
rotation.go		rotation.go
rotation_test.go		rotation_test.go
tape.go		tape.go
tape_test.go		tape_test.go
text.go		text.go
text_test.go		text_test.go
tm2.go		tm2.go
uuid.go		uuid.go

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tepra.tm2

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tepra.tm2

Installation

Tool

MCP Server

Library

Usage: As an MCP Server

Usage: As a Tool

Usage: As a Library

References

Kinds of label

Tapes

Layout

Print the file

MCP tools

Commands

The CSV file

Tool options

tm2 inspect

tm2 edit

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Library options

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