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Label Maker for Shop

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moparfreak

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 24, 2005
Messages
853
Location
Milwaukee, WI
So for a number of years now I've been using a Dymo label maker (THIS ONE) that has done the job OK, not great. Limited formatting ability which isn't a big deal but more annoyingly the label tape that this unit uses just doesn't seem to have good "stickability". I've got tons of situations where the label just sorta peels off on its own over time, the adhesive just isn't very effective.

So, now I'm in the market for a new one. Quick searches show just a ton of options. Some from no-name brands and some from the usual brands such as Dymo / Brady.

Any suggestions or advice from folks here that are OCD about their shop and label everything and have had good success?
 
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n8n

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Joined
Mar 11, 2014
Messages
3,607
Location
Curtis Bay, MD
second p-touch, I have labeled glass jars with the weatherproof tape and run them through the dishwasher before.
 
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u2slow

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Messages
3,585
Location
BC
We use P-touch labelling extensively at work. One bit of advice is to spray/wipe degreaser on whatever before trying to stick a label. Can also spray clear-coat overtop to help prevent peeling.

I have a unit at home also, but tape and jiffy marker takes over. Easier to read on a box on a top shelf.
 
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JradM

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Joined
Sep 4, 2019
Messages
1,814
Location
Alberta
i84x said:
I like my Brother PT-H110
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I also have a P-Touch H110. It's good. I don't know why there's so much enthusiasm for them though. It was a top recommendation when I was shopping, so it's what I bought. It's simple and robust.

I got my mom a label maker for Christmas though - a NIIMBOT D110. It's a wireless bluetooth label printer with a companion phone app. I was just playing with it today and it feels MILES ahead of my P-touch. Like a label maker for 2025 instead of 1995.

Mostly what I like is that I can apply symbols, outlines, text, etc and move it around with my finger on the phone screen over an image of the final label. I.e. you get to see what your label will look like ahead of time. The pre-sized labels are easy to peel off the tape, there's not a massive amount of wasted tape like the P-touch and I don't have to cut out the shape myself with scissors after.

One disadvantage is that my P-touch prints out a label as long as my text, whereas the NIIMBOT's labels are pre-sized (so you can shrink your text to fit, but it might get crowed if you're printing out a label for something "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". I don't know though, maybe the labels are available in different sizes...
 
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Aaron_W

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Joined
Feb 6, 2018
Messages
2,897
Location
Northern California
I'll 7th Brother, although it is all I've ever used. Well excluding the ancient plastic strip Dymo labelers of the past.

Brother offers a large variety of label makers, cheap handheld units to commercial desk top units and dozens of different size / type of label tape.
 
J

JradM

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Sep 4, 2019
Messages
1,814
Location
Alberta
I just looked it up - like I speculated, there's a variety of label tapes. You can get a continuous roll like I have for my P-touch, clear tapes, thermal, flag stickers, etc.

When using the app, it does have a bunch of templates and designs that it wants you to sign up for a subscription to use. There's lots of free options, but obviously they're trying to get more money off you for the "premium" designs. Still, the free options look better than what my P-touch can do.

Frankly, I'm not sure why people would chose the P-touch over something like that. Perhaps there is something I haven't thought of though.
 
N

n8n

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Joined
Mar 11, 2014
Messages
3,607
Location
Curtis Bay, MD
JradM said:
I just looked it up - like I speculated, there's a variety of label tapes. You can get a continuous roll like I have for my P-touch, clear tapes, thermal, flag stickers, etc.

When using the app, it does have a bunch of templates and designs that it wants you to sign up for a subscription to use. There's lots of free options, but obviously they're trying to get more money off you for the "premium" designs. Still, the free options look better than what my P-touch can do.

Frankly, I'm not sure why people would chose the P-touch over something like that. Perhaps there is something I haven't thought of though.
Click to expand...

Some of the better P-touches can do cool stuff. I went a little overboard and got the D610BTVP primarily because I can import fonts and I believe even images although I've never tried that. I live in an area with lots of ants, so I have literally tons of hermetic glass containers in my kitchen to keep flour, sugar, spices, etc. from attracting the little bastards, but they have to look neat, so I made my own label template with a nice outline and a copperplate font. Yeah it was expensive but it's one of those buy once cry once kind of things. I also use the **** out of it for labeling cables for stereo, HT etc. Makes troubleshooting stuff so nice.
 
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moab11

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 22, 2015
Messages
555
Location
Thunder Bay, Ontario
I have a Dymo Rhino at work and really like it, almost always use the Nylon labels and they hold up very well.
The only thing I don't like and why I haven't bought one for home yet is that it doesn't use a qwerty keyboard layout.
 
A

American Locomotive

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Joined
Jan 8, 2017
Messages
10,947
Location
Rhode Island
I agree that the Brother P-Touches probably make the best and most durable labels. However they waste a lot of label tape if you make lots of short labels. You have a lot of excess on either end.
 
D

danielbuck

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Joined
Apr 15, 2014
Messages
919
fourjeepin said:
Damnnnn, that’s nice. How many others are shopping for one right now?
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be aware, old machines like this are usually pretty expensive if they are in good working order. If you can find one that isn't in working order or may just need a good cleaning and lube, you can probably find it for alot less $ and then put some time and effort into making it working again. Save $ where you can :)
 
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i84x

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Joined
Nov 1, 2024
Messages
93
Location
Earth
JradM said:
I also have a P-Touch H110. It's good. I don't know why there's so much enthusiasm for them though. It was a top recommendation when I was shopping, so it's what I bought. It's simple and robust.

I got my mom a label maker for Christmas though - a NIIMBOT D110. It's a wireless bluetooth label printer with a companion phone app. I was just playing with it today and it feels MILES ahead of my P-touch. Like a label maker for 2025 instead of 1995.

Mostly what I like is that I can apply symbols, outlines, text, etc and move it around with my finger on the phone screen over an image of the final label. I.e. you get to see what your label will look like ahead of time. The pre-sized labels are easy to peel off the tape, there's not a massive amount of wasted tape like the P-touch and I don't have to cut out the shape myself with scissors after.

One disadvantage is that my P-touch prints out a label as long as my text, whereas the NIIMBOT's labels are pre-sized (so you can shrink your text to fit, but it might get crowed if you're printing out a label for something "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". I don't know though, maybe the labels are available in different sizes...
Click to expand...
I think mainly for the price it’s a good choice. I’ve used a brother E550WSP that had that sort of functionality with the ability to print symbols and pictures and all sorts. Cant say I've ever really need them myself and it just felt more complicated than it needed to be.
 
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johnre

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Joined
Dec 1, 2016
Messages
1,048
Location
Portland, OR
Another vote for a Brother P-touch I have a PT-D600. Regarding your mention of limited formatting ability, that's true when used standalone, but mine is USB compatible and has a downloadable printer driver for installing under Windows, along with a free app for creating just about anything - and I can even put my own images into the labels, although it will do a black and white rendering of it, of course. It accommodates up to 25 mm wide tape, printing to 18 mm maximum.

It's a few years old at this point, but I think it's about the same feature set as this newer model:
https://www.brother-usa.com/products/ptd610bt#carouselThumbnail


1727028861126.png
 
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M

MushCreek

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Joined
Jan 14, 2015
Messages
9,763
Location
Upstate South Carolina
Yeah I hate the way the P-Touch wastes so much blank tape. Good idea to save the pieces to use them for hand-written labels. I need to make a bunch of labels, and I'm going to do as many as I can at once to save tape. Mine also eats batteries like crazy, and the A/C adapter costs more than the actual label maker did. It's like they're out to make money or something.
 
O

olsenmotorsports

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Joined
Apr 13, 2013
Messages
764
Location
Chicago, IL
danielbuck said:
I use an old *** Roovers label stamper that I 'restored' a few years back. It's not fast, but it makes nice heavy duty labels. For more temporary labels, I use green gaffer's tape and a marker, or one of the Dymo sticky labels.

IMG-2070.jpg
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LOL I came here to give my recommendation on what to use/buy, saw this and realized I just need to STFU 😂

That is so mega cool on so many levels! Love it
 
J

JKinAK

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Joined
Dec 30, 2017
Messages
66
How do the P-touch do in really warm environments?
I labeled the wiring in our boiler room and after a few years the printing has faded to the point of - not readable.
Note that I've had a few labelers and I'm not 100% sure these were created with a PTouch (but I'm thinking they were) so maybe some folks who have used PTouch labels in boiler room temperatures for more than a couple of years can comment on longevity under those conditions.
 
J

jives

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Joined
Jan 4, 2013
Messages
2,805
Location
Central NY
danielbuck said:
I use an old *** Roovers label stamper that I 'restored' a few years back. It's not fast, but it makes nice heavy duty labels. For more temporary labels, I use green gaffer's tape and a marker, or one of the Dymo sticky labels.

IMG-2070.jpgIMG-2154.jpgIMG-2198.jpg
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Showed to my wife, who has a "thing" for organization. She almost demanded I get one.
 
D

Dixie_Flatline

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Joined
Oct 30, 2024
Messages
387
Location
Tennessee
jives said:
Showed to my wife, who has a "thing" for organization. She almost demanded I get one.
Click to expand...

I admit I did not search the entire internet, but the one I found for sale was around $4500. I was saddened because I really like those stamped labels.
 
L

loganb

ALLIANCE MEMBER
Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
5,517
Location
Omaha, NE
Aside from the awesome looking metal tags, I'm a fan of the Brothers. The handheld one does up to 1/2", the larger does up to 1" wide. I get generic label cartridges from Amazon, they have heat shrink tape you can get to which is handy to have.

20250104_091420.jpg
 
J

JradM

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Joined
Sep 4, 2019
Messages
1,814
Location
Alberta
Just FYI, that bluetooth label printer I was enthused about (NIIMBOT 110) is $15 on Amazon. The P-Touch H110 is $54.

Considering the labels are more customizable, the tape is cheaper and there's no wasted tape or manual trimming...

I understand why people like the P-touch labellers (and own one myself), but I still don't understand what makes it better. Unless of course, you're opposed to using your phone to design the labels.
 
B

Beerhippie

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Joined
Oct 13, 2023
Messages
9,718
Location
Far NE Oregon
danielbuck said:
I use an old *** Roovers label stamper that I 'restored' a few years back. It's not fast, but it makes nice heavy duty labels. For more temporary labels, I use green gaffer's tape and a marker, or one of the Dymo sticky labels.

IMG-2070.jpgIMG-2154.jpgIMG-2198.jpg
Click to expand...
Damn. I know where one of those is--not in great shape, but I could probably pick it up for a Grant or two.

Thankfully, the shop is closed for the month of January....
 
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