YOU CAN BUILD YOUR OWN LABEL MAKER THAT NEVER NEEDS A CARTRIDGE
A label maker that uses ordinary embossing tape and never needs a proprietary cartridge.
WorkshopAutomation
Built withESP323D printing
- difficulty
- ●●●○○
- time
- a weekend-plus
- license
- MIT
- repo
- repo ACTIVE479 stars
●●●○○ · a weekend-plus · MIT · 479 stars · repo ACTIVE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
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COMPAREE VERDICT
E-TKT is a thoughtfully engineered alternative to thermal label printers that depend on expensive, sometimes DRM-protected cartridges. It presses letters into ordinary embossing tape using a metal daisy wheel, the same kind used in cheap manual labellers, with the rest custom: an ESP32 on a 4-layer PCB you order, a NEMA 17 stepper, a servo, a hall sensor for homing, and a 3D-printed body. You control it from a phone or laptop over your local network through a web interface the machine serves itself. The documentation is among the most complete we have seen: a parts list with supplier links, printable files, board files, firmware, and an illustrated assembly guide. The one thing that will trip people up is the daisy wheel: it has to be the MOTEX uppercase 43-character wheel named in the BOM, and a wheel salvaged from another brand of labeller may not fit. The second is the board: it is mostly SMD parts, so plan for a stencil and reflow. The appeal is not just the build — it is never having to buy another label cartridge.
IN THE REPO
GOOD TO KNOW
- —Complete printable STL files for the body and all structural parts, about 220 g of PETG.
- —Full bill of materials with part numbers and supplier links; author's component cost estimate is around 100 dollars (October 2022).
- —Custom PCB design files (KiCad) and complete ESP32 firmware published in the repo.
- —Step-by-step assembly guide with photos; OSHWA certified (BR000010).
- —Licence is MIT, permits commercial use.
- —The metal daisy wheel is a bought part: the BOM specifies a MOTEX uppercase 43-character wheel with a supplier link.
Parts to buy
12 itemsFrom our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.
Can I build this?
Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.
Videos
Andrei's official video, linked from the README, shows the machine embossing labels; the step-by-step assembly guide itself is photo-based on the project site.
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Start here
Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.
- 1.Read the full assembly guide in the repo docs folder to understand the build sequence. (The guide is photo-heavy and walks through every step.)
- 2.Buy the MOTEX uppercase 43-character daisy wheel listed in the BOM.(The BOM specifies a MOTEX uppercase 43-character wheel and links a seller; buy that one.)
- 3.Order the custom PCB (and the stencil) from the Gerber zip in the _electronic/export/gerber folder.(JLCPCB, PCBWay, or any fab that accepts KiCad exports. Allow 1-2 weeks for shipping.)
- 4.Print the body and structural parts from the STL files.(PETG recommended, about 220 g total. PLA will work but is less durable.)
- 5.Flash the firmware following the firmware page of the project site.(Build it with PlatformIO, flash over USB-C (hold FN for DFU mode), then upload the web app in the data folder via SPIFFS.)
Resources
Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.
KNOWN ISSUES
- The daisy wheel must be the one in the BOM: a MOTEX uppercase 43-character wheel (linked on AliExpress). Other labellers use different wheels, so if you salvage one from a drawer, check it matches before you print.
- The PCB is custom and must be ordered from a fab. If you have never done this, the process is: download the Gerber zip from the repo, upload it to JLCPCB or PCBWay, choose quantity (5 is the usual minimum), pay, and wait 1-2 weeks. Do this first because it has the longest lead time.
- The bill of materials lists part numbers and suppliers, but prices drift. The 100-dollar estimate is from October 2022 and excludes shipping and taxes, so re-price it before ordering.
- The ESP32 is not a dev board: it is an ESP32-WROOM-32D module soldered onto the custom 4-layer PCB together with dozens of SMD parts. The BOM includes a solder-paste stencil, so plan for SMD assembly (hot plate, reflow or hot air), not just through-hole soldering.
- The web interface is served over your local Wi-Fi network only — there is no cloud component, which is a feature for privacy but means you cannot control it remotely unless you set up port forwarding or VPN yourself.
- Embossing tape is not a common household item. You can buy it online for a few dollars, but it is one more thing to source before the first label.
Can I use any manual embossing labeller to salvage the daisy wheel?
Not any: the design is built around the MOTEX uppercase 43-character daisy wheel named in the BOM, which you can buy on its own. Wheels from other brands vary in mounting and diameter and would need the hub redesigned.
How do I order the custom PCB if I have never done it before?
Download gerber.zip from the _electronic/export/gerber folder, upload it to a fab such as JLCPCB or PCBWay, select a 4-layer board, and order a stencil for the front side at the same time. The author's 100-dollar estimate includes five boards and the stencil. Order it first, because it has the longest lead time.
Does it connect to the internet or need a cloud account?
No. The ESP32 serves a web page on your local Wi-Fi network. You type the label text in a browser on your phone or laptop, and it sends the command directly to the machine. No account, no cloud, no internet required.
Can I use PLA instead of PETG for the printed parts?
The author printed his in PETG and lists PETG in the BOM. PLA may work, but it is untested by the author and the press parts see repeated force from the servo.
Is the 100-dollar cost estimate still accurate?
The author's figure is around 100 dollars in components without shipping and taxes, as of October 2022, including five 4-layer PCBs and a stencil. Prices have moved since, so price the BOM yourself before you start.
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Discussion1
FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM
The documentation lists the component cost at around 100 dollars (October 2022), and the whole thing runs on ordinary embossing tape with no chip or cartridge to replace. If you have built one or are planning to, how hard was it to get the MOTEX daisy wheel?
Andrei Speridiao
Andrei built E-TKT after a cheap manual embossing labeller broke in his workshop due to a weak plastic ratchet hook. Rather than buying a thermal printer with proprietary cartridges, he designed a machine around the one good part of the broken tool: the metal daisy wheel. The project is OSHWA certified.
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DISCLAIMER
- Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
- Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
- Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited
Practical notes from our verification: the repo is exceptionally well documented: OSHWA certified, MIT licence for software and hardware (CC BY-SA for the documentation), with a full BOM, printable files, Gerbers and board files, PlatformIO firmware and a photo-heavy, step-by-step assembly guide on the project site. The BOM names the daisy wheel you need, a MOTEX uppercase 43-character wheel with an AliExpress link, and the 3D sources are modelled around exactly that wheel, so do not substitute another labeller's wheel without checking. The documentation puts the component cost at around 100 dollars without shipping and taxes, as of October 2022, so expect prices to have moved since. There is also an official video by the author, linked from the README, showing the machine in action. The PCB uses an SMD ESP32-WROOM-32D module, and the BOM includes a solder paste stencil for the top layer. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.