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Paper-Tape Patterns

This directory has a collection of "papertape pattern definition files". You can use them to punch 8-level tape with bubbles, diamonds, grids, hearts, space invaders, Gray sequences, skulls, text in multiple fonts, and whatever else you can imagine.

The results are fun.

do not cross fade patterns all the fonts invaders hi score skulls valentine xmas wrap more invaders text messages

Generating the patterns

This Python script reads a pattern-file and converts it to the binary message that punches the pattern on tape. You may need to pip install pillow click before you can run it.

$ ./pattern --help
Usage: pattern [OPTIONS] PATTERN [WORDS]...

  Print patterns to punchtape.

Options:
  --font PATH  Font: 6x13, 6x13B, 6x13O, 7x13, 7x13B, 7x13O, cga, cgathin,
               chicago, cl, helv, lur12, lur8, mod3270, mod6x13, nex6x10,
               small, smallcaps, vt100
  --part TEXT  Write only one named part of a pattern-file
  --all        Write all the available parts in a pattern-file (slow!)
  --svg        Write SVG, not binary
  --test       Write text preview, not binary
  --list       List the available patterns
  --help       Show this message and exit.

For example, this prints out the pattern in a readable form on your terminal:

./pattern invaders --test

If you have a tape punch on /dev/tty you can run without "--test" to punch it:

./pattern invaders > /dev/tty

Text on tape

The pattern named text can print words onto tape, using any of the bitmap fonts in the fonts directory.

For example,

pattern text --font vt100 'Tape is fun!' --test

The pattern file includes parts with some variations on shifting (moving the text baseline, and whether to drop the 'sprocket hole' bit); for example

pattern text --part small 'Tape is fun!' --test
pattern text --part inverted 'Negative space' --test

For interactive printing, it's really convenient to just type at the keyboard and have the letters punched immediately. The tapei script does this. Just run

tapei

and type anything; interrupt with Ctrl+C or Ctrl+D to finish. Optionally you can specify a font name with tapei --font.

Tape on paper

To sketch out your own designs, send this postScript file to your printer.

sketching template

You can print "ready-made" patterns using the SVG output,

./pattern invaders --svg > file.svg && open file.svg

The resulting SVG looks like this,

invaders svg

For next-level reperforating: follow ef1j95 on twitter.