Label maker recommendations?

[Ken Platt]

Folks, I've decided to do a serious shop reorganization, and wanted to get serious about labeling. Right now I use masking tape and a pen when I use anything, and it's not cutting it. I need clear, easy to read from 10 paces kind of labels.

I'm thinking a dedicated labeler, although I'm open to a computer/printer solution. But I'm thinking I'll want to make the labels one at a time - do computer based labeling systems do that? Also, my shop wi-fi is iffy.

I checked the archives, and to my surprise, didn't find much. I'm hoping I'm not the only wannabe neat freak out there.....

Recommendations? Thanks,

Ken

[Andy Shearon]

Get a brother labeller, and spend the extra $s and get a brother label maker. It is significantly faster and and looks nicer if you use the computer interface with them. Buy the brother label maker based on what size labels you want to make. Of course, the larger the label, the more expensive the printer.

I used these at work all the time, and was so happy with them that I have on for at home. Buy the label tape from amazon or Costco.

Andy

[Tom M King]

I made all the labels for my toolboxes with 10 to a page Avery printer labels, covered with long term clear storage tape. You save the templates from online to your word processor, and design them any kind of way you want to. I cut them down to a size I want after printing them. I looked at dedicated labelers, but they were too limiting. Ideally, I'd get a small vinyl cutter, but the printer labels have served fine so far. I have over a hundred of these toolboxes in cubbies, and you can read the labels from across the room.

You can print any number of the ten at the time that you want to. Just peel off the one/ones you printed, and save the rest on the page. Next time, fill out the ones remaining on the page on the screen of your computer and run the partial sheet back through the printer. The backing remains, so the printer handles it like a full sized sheet of paper, and the word processor tells it where to print. On the computer screen, it shows the ten labels, and you fill them out however you want to. You can print any size font, or anything else your word processor will do.

[Ken Platt]

Andy, what model Brother do you use? There are several; the PT-D200 got a good review at PC mag. However, it can only do up to 1/2 inch wide labels, which seems a touch marginal for easy long-distance reading, but since I've not used these at all, I can't quite picture how a label looks or reads from a distance. If you can fill that 1/2 inch width with the letter, that should be fine to see from a distance, but I'm not sure how much margin the machine leaves.

Tom, do the Avery labels come with some sort of app to show the labels on the screen for filling out, or is that a word processor thing (I'm still using Word 97, never had any need to upgrade, although every now and then I think about downloading open office or similar)? Also, if you don't cover them, do they fade, and if so, how long does that take? I'd rather not have to futz with tape; this is going to be a slow enough process as is....

Thanks for the replies -

Ken

[Andy Shearon]

Andy, what model Brother do you use? There are several; the PT-D200 got a good review at PC mag. However, it can only do up to 1/2 inch wide labels, which seems a touch marginal for easy long-distance reading, but since I've not used these at all, I can't quite picture how a label looks or reads from a distance. If you can fill that 1/2 inch width with the letter, that should be fine to see from a distance, but I'm not sure how much margin the machine leaves.

Tom, do the Avery labels come with some sort of app to show the labels on the screen for filling out, or is that a word processor thing (I'm still using Word 97, never had any need to upgrade, although every now and then I think about downloading open office or similar)? Also, if you don't cover them, do they fade, and if so, how long does that take? I'd rather not have to futz with tape; this is going to be a slow enough process as is....

Thanks for the replies -

Ken

I have the predecessor to the PT2730. It prints up to 1" wide. I can't say what the unusable space is when you use the keyboard interface on the Brother label makers; when using the computer interface, there might be 5% or so unusable at the edges. It's not much - whenyou're trying to use that much of the tape, the letters that go below the line (p's, q's, y's, etc.) will get clipped, unless you use a font or all caps to prevent that.

Let me reiterate on how to best use these things. When printing more than one label at a time, it will always be faster to walk inside and use the free Brother SW. It will look better and save you time. I have one a model with the chicklet keyboard interface. I literally have never used it, and if it didn't have a computer interface, I wouldn't buy one.

Keep in mind that at work, we used these labellers for maybe 5-6,000 labels. At those volumes, the computer interface is a necessity. We used it as a much more cost effective solution than dedicated wire label printers (which run upwards of $3-400 each and have very limited capabilities). With the computer I/F, you can have a labels printed almost as fast as you can touch type. Without it, as fast as you can hunt and peck, and the keyboard interface doesn't use as much of the vertical extent of the label as you can with the computer SW.

A couple of notes:

The label type has a couple of types. For flat labels, the regular tape works well. For wires, you need to buy the "flexible ID tape" version, which will stay stuck on curves (think wrapping around an ethernet cable).

The label maker uses a two part indelible plastic tape. The machine applies a clear tape cover over the printed half of the label as it prints. The advantage of this over Tom's approach is the time saving and durability. At work, we've had some of these labels outside for a decade (stuck to trucks) and they look as good as new. Tom's solution is definitely cheaper.

I would think that 3/4" tape would be ideal, but 1/2" probably would work fine. I'd experiment with Word and font sizes to see if a 1/2" font works for your eyes in your place.

The edges are tough, but they will start to fail if abraded a lot. If you stick on on a Blackberry, for example, the label will start to get raggedy on the edges after about 18 months of being inserted and removed from a case.

The printers do not print greyscale. Fonts look fantastic, but digitized images, not so good.


Andy

[David L Morse]

I've been using the Brother QL-570 label printer for several years and have been very satisfied. It does lots of sizes, several material choices and does one at a time very well. The software is dirt simple to use.

[Dan Clark]

I suggest a battery powered, hand-held label printer. When I'm labeling things in the shop (garage), I create them on the fly. Then I may change my mind a couple times before finalizing a label because I'm reorganizing them into different boxes. Each to his own, but I find portables by far the preferable choice.

I use the Brady BMP21: http://www.bradyid.com/bradyid/scpv/Printers,-Barcode-Scanners-and-Laminators~Portable-Printers-and-Accessories~BMP21-Label-Printer-and-Accessories.html. In general, it's a decent label printer. But I don't like it as much as the original IDPal which I still own. The IDPal is a bit slower, but it fits my hand better. The BMP21 is a bit clumsy. My primary gripe with Brady printers is that they still think industrial instead of users. For example, you have to keep clicking the caps/no caps button to change case. The is no option to upper case the first letter in a word and then lower case the rest. That's particular stupid.

So why am I recommending the Brady labeler? It's the labels. They are easy to read and they don't degrade over time. My Dymo labeler labels only last for about a year and then they fall off. The Brady labels stay on. And the type, size, and color of Brady labels is huge. Lots of options: http://www.bradyid.com/downloads/BMP21_Label_Selection_Guide.pdf.

And it's the cartridges. The Dymo cartridges jam and get unwound. The Brady cartridges are pretty much bomb proof. I have 8 cartridges from 1/4" to 3/4", in a couple colors, and types (vinyl, polyester, and cloth) that I change frequently. They snap in and out easily, and don't jam.

The company frustrates me. They came out with the BMP21. Instead of a couple features that I really wanted, they added a lot of bling. So I returned it and sent the company a nasty letter. And then tried to find a replacement. After lot of searching, I couldn't find anything better so I bought another BMP21 and learned to live with its warts. It's not perfect, but it's better than anything else I've found.

Regards,

Dan.

[Dave Lehnert]

I use a hand held Brother P Touch. It must be 10 years old now.

[Charles Li]

I don't have too much to add but I was surprised how much I liked a dedicated labeler. I personally find the tiny keyboard fine for the few times I need to use it. What I like about it best though is the label itself. As people stated, already laminated and tough but one of the bonuses is it comes off clean and easy as well. The tape will come off in one piece and not tear. All those conveniences add up for me. We use 3/4" tape. Btw, I'm referring to the Brother's TZ tape. I have no other experience with other tape so can't compare but I know I like this stuff. I'm using the Brother PT-1880 got from costco - http://www.amazon.com/Brother-PT-1880-Advanced-Deluxe-Labeler/dp/B000JVHH9W . It's extremely basic but gets the job done. I don't know if the font will be big enough from 10 paces though. From 15' I think the average person could read it. Farther than that because I have a general idea of the labels I can figure it out otherwise it'd be tough. Here's a sample printed on .7" label. I don't know if all the manual feeds are like this but each label produces an 1" of waste so it helps to chain labels together to save tape.


300459

Ok, messed with it a bit and can make it bigger on this model
300464

[David Dockstader]

If you can hang on until Black Friday, Staples has the Brother® P-touch® PT-D200 Label Maker for $9.99. That's about 1/3 the normal price. Tapes are TZe, a little expensive but really good. Of course, that presupposes you have a Staples near by, although you may be able to get this on line.

[Tom M King]

Andy, what model Brother do you use? There are several; the PT-D200 got a good review at PC mag. However, it can only do up to 1/2 inch wide labels, which seems a touch marginal for easy long-distance reading, but since I've not used these at all, I can't quite picture how a label looks or reads from a distance. If you can fill that 1/2 inch width with the letter, that should be fine to see from a distance, but I'm not sure how much margin the machine leaves.

Tom, do the Avery labels come with some sort of app to show the labels on the screen for filling out, or is that a word processor thing (I'm still using Word 97, never had any need to upgrade, although every now and then I think about downloading open office or similar)? Also, if you don't cover them, do they fade, and if so, how long does that take? I'd rather not have to futz with tape; this is going to be a slow enough process as is....

Thanks for the replies -

Ken

When you buy a package of the Avery labels, it tells you which template to download online. When you get to that template, you have all sorts of choices for which browser and word processor you want to use. I'm sure Word 97 is still on the list. Once you download the template into your word processor, it comes up on the screen with the labels outlined, and you can fill them out any kind of way you want to with any capability that the word processor has. You can even print multiple small labels with a smaller font, and cut one of the labels up into multiple smaller ones with a pair of scissors once you print it out. You are only limited by your imagination.

Spend the few bucks on a package of the labels, and try it out before you spend the money for a dedicated labeler.

I think mine are about 5 years old, and no fading so far. I guess that's a function of the printer ink. All my toolboxes are waterproof, and we pick the ones we need to take to a small job in the back of a pickup sometimes. The reason I put the clear, long term storage tape over the labels, is for some protection from rain in the back of the pickup. Out of over 300 labels (each box has three-one on the front, and one on each end). Some have gotten wet, and just yesterday I printed out two replacement labels for ones that have gotten wet multiple times, and the storage tape came loose, pulling the label with it, but the labels were still readable (SAWZ and Jigsaw). The other two labels on each of those boxes are still secure in spite of suffering the same conditions that released the other two. Out of my 100plus boxes, these are the only labels that I've had to replace, and those boxes get hauled around a lot.

edited to add: I have the label package right in front of me. The ones I use, there are many sizes, are the 18163 package of 100 2"x4" labels. You can go to Avery online, and check out the templates even before you buy a package of the labels. These use template number 5163. You can buy them in Staples or Target or maybe even Walmart.

[John Coloccia]

After reorganizing and labeling many times, I now stick on a label and scribble by hand. Using the label maker is just way too much trouble for something this simple, IMHO. I know you asked specifically about label makers, but I'm just giving you my experience. I've done it many time, but I won't do it again. You can use a different size markers for larger text if you want. The key is to loose the masking tape. Use real labels.

That said, I have a couple of Brother label makers that live in my dusty shop, and they've been 100% reliable for 10 years.

[Rich Engelhardt]

If you can hang on until Black Friday, Staples has the Brother® P-touch® PT-D200 Label Maker for $9.99. That's about 1/3 the normal price.Excellent price - - however - - it doesn't come with an A/C adapter. It runs on 6 AAA batteries, which it eats rather quickly. The A/C adapter runs $26 or so.
Other than that - it's a great little machine.
I loved mine, I just got tired of having to replace the batteries every time I wanted to use it.

[Tom M King]

300491I found a picture. These are in a trailer now.

[Dave Cullen]

Excellent price - - however - - it doesn't come with an A/C adapter. It runs on 6 AAA batteries, which it eats rather quickly. The A/C adapter runs $26 or so.
Other than that - it's a great little machine.
I loved mine, I just got tired of having to replace the batteries every time I wanted to use it.

The P-Touch is what I use also. I have both 1/2" and 1/4" label tape for it, black on white. I think the model I have will do up to 3/4 inch. It does use batteries, but an equivalent "wall wort" adapter can be had off Amazon cheaper than the Brothers version.

[Tom M King]

I should have gone looking online: http://www.onlinelabels.com/weatherproof-labels.aspx

If I wasn't so busy, I'd get one of these: http://www.uscutter.com/USCutter-MH-Series-Vinyl-Cutter-w-Sure-Cuts-A-Lot-Pro-Design-Cut-Software

[Charles Li]

It runs on 6 AAA batteries, which it eats rather quickly. The A/C adapter runs $26 or so.
Other than that - it's a great little machine.
I loved mine, I just got tired of having to replace the batteries every time I wanted to use it.

After having kids and getting sick of constantly changing batteries out of their toys (because they never turn them off lol) I switched to Sanyo Eneloop rechargable batteries. They're expensive but they perform like quality alkaline. Awesome for photography flashes too (another reason why I bought them) which is demanding for sure.

[Andy Shearon]

The P-Touch is what I use also. I have both 1/2" and 1/4" label tape for it, black on white. I think the model I have will do up to 3/4 inch. It does use batteries, but an equivalent "wall wort" adapter can be had off Amazon cheaper than the Brothers version.

Agree with the "don't buy the brother wall wart". Try to find one in a junk drawer with the right voltage before you go to amazon. The computer enabled ones (at least the ones I bought) came with a wall wart.

A.

[Dave Zellers]

Another PT guy here. PT 65.

My father in law gave it to me probably 5 years ago and I thanked him and promptly stuck it in a drawer and never looked at it again for 3 years. At that point I thought I'd give it a try.

Now I'm a labeling fool. I love it. 1/2" tape. I don't get the battery complaints. Mine last forever. Maybe because it's an older model without bells and whistles. But who needs bells and whistles? It job is to make a label.

Whatever- I like it.

[Ken Platt]

Folks, thanks for all the replies, great discussion. I went looking at sales in the office stores and Office Depot has the Brother PT-2730 on sale for $50. I was sorely tempted by the upcoming Staples $10 PT-D200, but I kinda wanted the capacity to go wider, and this one goes up to 1" wide. Also, it comes with an AC adapter. I have a zillion adapters laying around, and I swear never, never, do I find one that fits any new device. I'm not sure how that's possible, but there it is.

Also this one has a usb connection, so if I end up liking the computer-generated labels better, I have that option. I have an old win 98 laptop that I think might still work; may take that to the shop to give it a try. Probably too old, though.

Organized shop here I come!

Ken