Cheap label printers.

[benweblight]

I need to do some 'idiot proofing' in an installation and am looking for something to do the labelling with.

As this is only for occasional use I don't want anything too fancy but also don't want to waste money on something thats going to be useless.

 

Therefore I've been looking into cheap label printers but am wondering how well these work and if there's any particular models to look out for/avoid?

[johnlinford]

Are you labling cables or pannels?

 

Also, how cheap is cheap?

 

For the former, (and valid for the latter), I'd try and pick up a Brady TLS2200 off eBay - they usually go for between £100 and £150, or cheaper without the power supply (a standard 12v supply from Maplin will do the trick). These printers take the nice self-laminating or heatshrink labels for doing cable with.

[benweblight]

It will be mainly panels so not so bothered about being able to do heatshrink. I'm looking for something under £100 but I'll be looking second hand (eBay).

[greenalien]

Good old Dymo tape takes some beating - for cables, type the label twice , bend it round the cable and stick it to itself - that way, it can easily be read from both sides. The advantage of embossed tape is that the labelling can't rub off; it's high contrast also makes it easy to read from a distance, and the variety of sizes and colours of tape can be useful for colour coding. The disadvantage is that if cables are handled a lot, rather than permanently installed, the tape can break off quite easily. Recommended for panels.

Another cost-effective option is to use ordinary sticky labels - wrap them round the cable and protect with transparent heat shrink, or, for panels, cover with transparent self-adhesive film. Advantages - easy to add colour coding, plenty of easy to use labelling programs for PC. Disadvantage - not so good for text info on small diameter cables, will fade with time

Quick and dirty method - use white pcv electrical tape and a permanent marker. Good for short term, but tape glue will break down after a year or so and make a sticky mess.

I have found that the cheaper tape printers are not so good; the labelling easily gets damaged and blurred.

[Pete McCrea]

We have a Dymo Rhino, which is great for doing all the different types of label (Cable wraps, fixed panels, patch panels etc). If your passing back through the area I'm sure we could look at doing a 'good' hire rate on something like.

 

That said as the others have said there are options from the Dymo label printers through to the likes of LX and a Sharpie...

[musht]

Brother P-Touch, only Brother printer worth bothering about, thermal on to laminated tape, means its waterproof but acts like paper label, machines allow different fonts etc.

 

http://www.ptouch-store.co.uk

 

Lidl have a P1000 on offer on Thursday for £12.99

[TomHoward]

The DYMO Rhino Pro are the ones I've always used, and they're great - they'll do 'modular' printing, which is fixed width labels for going straight across a patch panel.

 

Just to clarify before I post the offer - I've got no affiliation with the website mentioned.

 

Rhinopro.co.uk are doing a free RhinoPro 5000 (approx £80 elsewhere) when you buy 10 tapes. I'd buy the Vinyl labels - at their price of £9.60 + VAT for the labels that's approx £110 for the printer and as many labels as you'll need for a while.

 

Link to deal - http://www.rhinopro.co.uk/RhinoPRO-5000-Label-Printer.html

 

Edit: Just to add something about the DYMO labellers, don't bother with the 12mm tapes. The RhinoPro 5000 distinguishes between 6mm, 9mm and 19mm tape, and lets you use larger text / more lines etc with larger tape, but doesn't distinguish a difference between 9mm and 12mm tapes - 12mm is just the same font size as 9mm with borders at the top and bottom.