Label maker

[TonyMitchell]

I have a 15 year old Dymo, which works well with most compatible cartridges. The only criticism would be the excess margin either side of the printed section when the tape is cut, particularly when using thin tapes, so they get manually trimmed.

[Yorkie]

Ah yes, that reminds me, the PTE300VP wastes a couple of centimetres of tape every time for no good reason except they want to sell you more tape

[OllieT]

Ah yes, that reminds me, the PTE300VP wastes a couple of centimetres of tape every time for no good reason except they want to sell you more tape

 

 

Yeah it is absolutely maddening, the only way round it is to print lots of labels at once using the "chain" function, and cut using a pair of scissors

[andy™]

Ah yes, that reminds me, the PTE300VP wastes a couple of centimetres of tape every time for no good reason except they want to sell you more tape

 

same with the 550 which I use. its because of where the print head and cutter is, it needs to feed that through. if im printing multiple of the same then just print x copies, only waste at the start. if multiple different then I often just make 1 long label then cut each one out individually.

 

 

on an older one with manual cutter, after print done you had to press feed first (which is where the waste comes from) before you could cut the tape to get your label. very handy because you could then start your next label, it would feed a little then wait until you cut it, then continue the label. no waste

 

as for the tapes, generic ebay ones have always worked for me. no noticable difference in quality / performance

[bigclive]

I've just bought one of those label printers, since my older one was not really up to date in terms of features.

 

The reason it spits out a bit of tape before printing the label is because the printhead is quite far back from the exit port. The reason for that is the way the printing and laminating process works. There are three tapes in the unit.

 

The coloured backing tape with a covered self adhesive backing, but is also covered in adhesive on the front too.

 

The thin image transfer film that carries the coloured pigment and is wound onto a separate reel inside during use.

 

A clear top layer that actually has the image printed on its underside.

 

In use the image is printed on the back of the clear film which is then laminated onto the adhesive front surface of the coloured tape.

 

When the unit pre-winds some tape out it has already started printing the label before pausing and continuing once the excess has been cut off.

It finishes printing, but then has to wind the last of the text through the laminating section before the label is clear to be cut off.

That's the reason for the waste bit.

 

Something worthy of note. The chunky 12V 2A power supply that comes with the unit uses reverse polarity on the jack. Outer is positive and inner is negative. So be careful you don't mix power supplies up.

 

It seems to be a very versatile label printer. Huge increase in functionality over my old Dymo one, especially the cable wrapping feature. I've ordered some label cartridges online to see how well they work, although the quality and longevity of the adhesive will be a significant factor in professional applications.

[david.elsbury]

I've just bought one of those label printers, since my older one was not really up to date in terms of features.

 

The reason it spits out a bit of tape before printing the label... *snip*

Does this mean a BigClive video on how label makers work is imminent? ;-) :-)

[bigclive]

Does this mean a BigClive video on how label makers work is imminent? ;-) :-)

 

I'm not sure I want to rip apart my new label maker quite yet. Particularly given how delicate the ribbon cables are.

 

But I could well rip apart a Chinese tape cartridge. I'll order a pink one.

[david.elsbury]

Does this mean a BigClive video on how label makers work is imminent? ;-) :-)

 

I'm not sure I want to rip apart my new label maker quite yet. Particularly given how delicate the ribbon cables are.

 

But I could well rip apart a Chinese tape cartridge. I'll order a pink one.

❤️

[Martin]

I'm using a Brother PT-E550W. Prints on labels up to 24mm wide. Has a Qwerty keyboard. The alphabetical keyboards on some label printers really confuse me! Prints patch panel labels with fixed spacing and dividers. Has wifi and can also plug into PC via USB to print.

 

Best feature is it's ability to slice the labels, but not the backing. So you can print a load of labels off, and they stay together on one strip. You can then peel individual labels off. Also no wastage between labels.