Label maker

[OllieT]

Has anyone got any suggestions of useful features to have in a label printer, and secondly any suggestions of make/model?

I am looking for a handheld unit, that won't be too expensive to run

 

Thanks

[abbotsmike]

I have a dymo Rhino, expensive up front, but reliable and easy to use.

 

Genuine cartridges aren't exactly cheap, but I use a mixture of genuine and third party ones, depending on the application!

[emsgeorge]

Lots of people use the brother printers that use the ez tape. Originals are expensive, however the no name carts on ebay are stupid cheap in comparison. Theres lots of different types you can get, including heatshrink, and super sticky etc. Lots of colours.

 

Theres also a desktop version you can connect to a laptop, if you want to do larger or more specialist versions

[ImagineerTom]

No specific model to recommend but make sure whatever you get has a qwerty keyboard layout and has the common symbols easily accessible - We have thrown out every non-qwerty unit within days because you type at 1/4 the speed and there's one Brother unit we have that has + - / on three different sub menus which again slows your usage right down. +1 for using the cheaper ebay tapes; I've yet to find a noticeable difference in stickiness and durability between official brother tapes and the generics.

[Dicky]

I have this one My link and spotted that it's currently £50 at toolstation which is pretty cheap considering you get a roll of tape with it (I think)

It has a rechargable battery pack, but can also use AAs if you don't have your charger.

 

It does everything I need, loads of symbols, even does distribution board labels and barcodes.

+1 for the non-branded tapes, I can't see a difference myself and it saves a fortune.

 

Dicky

Edited January 16, 2020 by Dicky

[alistermorton]

I find that the cheap ebay tapes sometimes don't feed properly in my brother machines, whereas the far pricier genuine articles always work. Maybe my machine is getting worn, but it hasn't had that much use.

[dosxuk]

I much prefer the Brother machines to the Dymo ones - the tape cartridge seem much more robust, we're constantly having problems where the "print" tape gets cut by putting the cartridge in the machine, meaning from then on you have to manually remove it. Never had a similar problem with the Brother EZ tape.

 

Also look out for a "clear all" button / function. The cheap Dymo ones don't have it, so the only way to get rid of your long print to do a new one is to keep pressing backspace.

[OllieT]

Thanks everyone for your replies, I think I will go with the one suggested by Dicky (Brother PET 300VP) as it seems very good value for what it is.

 

Any recommendation on what type of tape to use? Consensus seems to be that the off brand ones are fine, but do the the flexible, heat shrink ect work are are they a gimick?

Edited January 16, 2020 by OllieT

[Theatre Sound Supplies]

I would highly suggest looking at the Brother P-Touch Printers, In particular the P750W. Its wireless and can run off of batteries, theres some great software and it even prints pictures! I would try and get one that gets a part cut function as if your printing multiple labels this saves a lot of tape!

 

https://theatresoundsupplies.com/collections/brother/products/pt-p750w-desktop-label-printer-with-wifi

[skinda0]

+1 for the desktop style Brother P-Touch

 

I had a Brother P-Touch H100 which was fine for quick single line labels but quickly replaced it with a P700 which was so much easier and quicker to draw up labels. It needs to be connected to a laptop or PC but even that is easier than typing in characters on a non qwerty keyboard then counting along lines of text to make sure it is centeralised!

The P700 also supports tape up to 24mm wide which I use for barcode labels. I have only used the cheap cartridges from the big river.

Edited January 16, 2020 by skinda0

[revbobuk]

I like the printers that use the TZ tape instead of the EZ tape - I find it much easier to peel the backing off. I've got both handheld and desktop printers, and have bought generic tapes for them, and they seem to be holding up well.

[sunray]

I find that the cheap ebay tapes sometimes don't feed properly in my brother machines, whereas the far pricier genuine articles always work. Maybe my machine is getting worn, but it hasn't had that much use.

 

Agreed, I have a brother TZ style hand held [very old] and very ocassionally the cheap taped have jammed. But as I said it's very old and I hate to think how many miles of tape have gone through it [purchased 47 carts in 2017, the only year I've made an effort to keep tabs] I had the machine prior to 1994.

I also have a smaller EZ brother and a Dymo and hardly use them as the TZ tape is so much easier.

 

[Yorkie]

Another satisfied PTE300VP user here; mainly for electrical DB's, connector panels etc. Printing a row of labels each a specified number of mm wide is brilliant. Tapes are pricey but I'm about to try the unbranded ones. That Toolstation deal is one of the best I've seen - I think when I bought mine a year or so ago it was £50 albeit in a Screwfix offer. I use the strong adhesive tapes, typically 6 and 18mm do most of what I need (the 6mm will work under a Neutrik XLR clear ring). Only issue I have noticed is my machine seems to lose plenty of its battery power when in the case for a week or two. Might have to start taking the battery out of the machine and see if that helps

[emsgeorge]

I would highly suggest looking at the Brother P-Touch Printers, In particular the P750W. Its wireless and can run off of batteries, theres some great software and it even prints pictures! I would try and get one that gets a part cut function as if your printing multiple labels this saves a lot of tape!

 

https://theatresoundsupplies.com/collections/brother/products/pt-p750w-desktop-label-printer-with-wifi

 

Well, that wasn't spam at all was it …… linking to your own shop

 

Moderation: TSS are new members and unused to our expectations. The moderators have been in touch with a link to our policy on commercial posts.

[sunray]

Another satisfied PTE300VP user here; mainly for electrical DB's, connector panels etc. Printing a row of labels each a specified number of mm wide is brilliant. Tapes are pricey but I'm about to try the unbranded ones. That Toolstation deal is one of the best I've seen - I think when I bought mine a year or so ago it was £50 albeit in a Screwfix offer. I use the strong adhesive tapes, typically 6 and 18mm do most of what I need (the 6mm will work under a Neutrik XLR clear ring). Only issue I have noticed is my machine seems to lose plenty of its battery power when in the case for a week or two. Might have to start taking the battery out of the machine and see if that helps

Yes it does, I found it will take out a set of Duracells in 6 weeks.