diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 02d3ed0..5586ad8 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -4,6 +4,48 @@ This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with co
 
 ## Project
 
-**morningedition** — a morning edition printable newspaper generator.
+**morningedition** — prints a daily morning "newspaper" receipt on an Epson TM-T88V thermal printer
+at 6:30am via cron. One Python script, no dependencies beyond stdlib.
 
-This repository is in early/empty state. No build system, dependencies, or code structure has been established yet.
+## Printer
+
+- **Model:** Epson TM-T88V (M244A), USB, 80mm paper rolls
+- **CUPS name:** `receipt`
+- **Print command:** `lpr -P receipt -o raw` — raw ESC/POS, do not use CUPS rendering mode
+- **Paper cut:** `GS V 0x00` ESC/POS byte in the output stream
+- **ASCII only** — no emoji, no unicode; use `.encode("ascii", errors="replace")`
+- **Current WIDTH = 30** — printer NV is locked to 58mm mode; fix via Epson TM Utility
+  (Windows) then set WIDTH = 42. Do not change WIDTH without fixing the printer first.
+
+## Architecture
+
+`morningedition.py` is a single self-contained script:
+
+1. Fetches weather from `wttr.in/{zipcode}?format=j1` (JSON)
+2. Fetches RSS headlines from ABC13 and BBC
+3. Builds a receipt as a list of ASCII text lines
+4. Wraps lines in ESC/POS framing bytes (`INIT + FONT_A + body + CUT`)
+5. Pipes raw bytes to `lpr -P receipt -o raw`
+
+The `--preview` flag dumps the text portion to stdout instead of printing.
+
+## Key constants (morningedition.py)
+
+| Constant | Value | Notes |
+|---|---|---|
+| `WIDTH` | 30 | chars per line; change to 42 after fixing printer NV |
+| `PRINTER` | `"receipt"` | CUPS printer name |
+| `ZIPCODE` | `"77433"` | Bridgeland, Cypress TX |
+| `NAME` | `"Rich"` | used in greeting |
+
+## Content rotation
+
+Quotes, jokes, facts, and local tips rotate by `day_of_year % len(list)` — no state file needed.
+
+## What to avoid
+
+- Do not use `lpr -o TmxPaperCut=CutPerJob` — CUPS mode renders at huge font size
+- Do not use emoji or unicode characters anywhere in output
+- Do not add external dependencies; stdlib only
+- NHL API (`api-web.nhle.com`) returns 403 — do not use
+- `investing.com` scraping is unreliable — do not use
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 74e466e..be8cd27 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,62 @@
 # morningedition
 
-Morning Edition printable newspaper
\ No newline at end of file
+A daily morning receipt printer for the Epson TM-T88V thermal printer.
+Prints a personalized "newspaper" every morning at 6:30am via cron.
+
+## What it prints
+
+- **Header** — date, time, location (Bridgeland, Cypress TX)
+- **On This Day** — historical fact for today's date (when available)
+- **Weather** — current conditions, hi/lo, humidity, UV, wind, sunrise/sunset via wttr.in
+- **Houston News** — 5 live headlines from ABC13 RSS
+- **World News** — 5 live headlines from BBC RSS
+- **Thought for the Day** — rotating daily quote
+- **Morning Chuckle** — rotating daily joke
+- **Did You Know?** — rotating daily fun fact
+- **Local Tip** — rotating Bridgeland/Houston tips
+
+## Requirements
+
+- Python 3 (stdlib only, no pip installs needed)
+- Epson TM-T88V connected via USB, configured in CUPS as printer name `receipt`
+- Internet connection at print time (weather + news)
+
+## Usage
+
+```bash
+# Print to printer
+python3 morningedition.py
+
+# Preview in terminal (no printing)
+python3 morningedition.py --preview
+```
+
+## Cron setup
+
+Already configured at 6:30am Central Time:
+
+```
+CRON_TZ=America/Chicago
+30 6 * * * /usr/bin/python3 /home/rich/Devel/morningedition/morningedition.py
+```
+
+## Printer notes
+
+- Prints in **raw ESC/POS mode** (`lpr -P receipt -o raw`) — faster and more reliable than CUPS rendering
+- Paper cut is handled via `GS V 0x00` in the ESC/POS byte stream
+- ASCII only — no emoji or unicode
+- `WIDTH = 30` currently because the printer NV memory is locked to 58mm paper mode
+  (even though 80mm rolls are loaded). To fix: use Epson TM Utility on Windows to set
+  Memory Switch → Paper Width → 80mm, then change `WIDTH = 30` → `WIDTH = 42` in
+  `morningedition.py` line 23.
+
+## Files
+
+| File | Purpose |
+|---|---|
+| `morningedition.py` | Main script |
+| `diagnose.py` | ESC/POS font/width diagnostic prints |
+| `diagnose2.py` | Print area and character spacing diagnostics |
+| `fixwidth.py` | NV paper-width fix attempts (v1) |
+| `fixwidth2.py` | NV memory switch sweep (v2) |
+| `readmsw.py` | Attempted memory switch readback via USB |