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Tips and Advice on Labeling at the Office
- Brother Helps Customers Design Labels
- A Label Maker and Printer in One
- Cleaning Your Computer
- Increase Your Outlets at the Office
- Dymo Manual Label Makers
- When Your Characters are Off
- How to Shop for a Label Machine
- Top Five Label Maker Best Buys
- Label Makers for Home Organization
- About Automatic Label Dispensers
Brother Helps Customers Design Labels
Brother is one of the leading label maker brands. If you are looking into purchasing a Brother label maker, let the Brother Web site spark your imagination as you buy.
For help deciding on the wording and look of your label, go to www.brother.com and check out its "label making demonstration corner." Here, you can click on the type of label you wish to make - a title label for a video cassette, a floppy disk label or a title label for an audio cassette. It will give you an example of each kind of label. Once you click into the type of label you want, you can create a mock label using the wording and coloring you would like.
A Label Maker and Printer in One
Some automatic label applicators come as entire systems - a printer and label maker in one. For example, the Brother International PT-1650 P-Touch® Electronic Labeling System.
The labeling system uses Flexible ID tape and rotated print for cable wrapping and flagging, industrial strength laminated tapes for patch panel labeling, and standard laminated tapes for faceplate labeling. The handheld Brother P-Touch® label maker can create labels with graphics and bar codes up to 1 inch wide. The label maker has the ability to download databases, custom templates and graphics.
Cleaning Your Computer
A clean office will help you clear your mind for the tasks ahead. And that's why so much is written about office organization. However, it's not just your desk and shelves that should get attention. If you want to keep keep your business running smoothly, your computer should be clean on the inside and out. Here's an office organization tip about cleaning your computer, courtesy of cnet.com:
Computer cleaning supplies you should have on hand:
- A can of compressed air
- Antibacterial moist towelettes
- Glass cleaner
- A folded piece of soft cloth or a paper towel
- Lint free wipes
- A dust mask
To clean out your keyboard, hold your keyboard upside down over a wastebasket and shake it gently. Then hold the keyboard vertically over the wastebasket and use a can of compressed air to spray between the keys. While you're at it, give your mouse a thorough wipe-down -- it can collect plenty of dirt and finger grime, too. Make sure you check all the cables and plugs inside your PC. Make sure they're fastened securely and that you haven't knocked anything loose during cleaning.
Increase Your Outlets at the Office
Need more outlets at the office? Running out of places to plug in your label machines, printers and computers? Make use of desk or convenience outlets.
Do you have a conference room table that looks great, but is not providing you with the power and data jacks that you need? There are outlets that can be inconspicuously installed into your table.
Desktop and convenience outlets are the perfect way to get the connections you need while maintaining a neat and organized workspace.
For example, products such as the Edge Mount PDC provide simplexes to accept standard power cords or AC adapters as well as two ports for the installation of voice/data. It is typically attached to the edge of the work surface or table.
Dymo Manual Label Makers
Dymo label makers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, including manual models. The manual models are usually known as "entry level" machines for use with simple tasks.
For just $12.99, you can get a Dymo Organizer Express, which labels files, CDs, toys and more. All you do is simply turn and click and you have a manual embossing system in your fingers. No batteries needed.
Another manually operated entry-level favorite by Dymo users is the Label Blaster. It is also at a great price for only $7.99 and labels are made with a quick twist, click, peel & stick.
When Your Characters are Off
When using the Brother P-touch label maker, if you find that the characters are horizontally compressed and not shaped correctly, you might want to check the batteries of your machine.
That's because when the batteries are weak or the wrong power adapter is used, the tape feed motor can not feed the tape properly. Replace the batteries with fresh ones or confirm the power adapter is rated for your machine.
How to Shop for a Label Machine
There are many label machines on the market. Manufacturers often call label-making devices different names such as handheld labeling system, electronic labeling system, label printer, handheld labelmaker and electronic labeler. How do you know which one is right for your home or work environment?
Follow these tips for help making an educated decision, courtesy of Consumer Guide, whose editors provide professional, unbiased evaluations of thousands of products each year so that consumers can make educated buying decisions.
If possible, you'll want to purchase a label machine that operates both on battery power and with an AC adapter, especially if you plan to carry the label maker from location to location.- Another key feature is the size of the label machine's LCD. Some small label makers can display only up to four characters on the LCD, which can make it difficult to create long labels.
- If you plan to use the label machine often, you might want to purchase a larger (and more expensive) model that contains a larger keyboard. Typing on a cramped keyboard for any length of time can be uncomfortable.
- Unless you need to create labels for a professional setting, you'll probably be better off purchasing a low-cost model because you won't need the bevy of add-on features included with the high-cost models.
- With label machines, you will often need to purchase accessories, such as batteries, AC adapters, and tape cartridges. These are difficult to purchase locally because most stores can't afford to stock accessories for the dozens of models of label printers that are available. If you can't find the accessories you need, or if you don't want to waste time looking for them, check the manufacturers Web site. Nearly every label machine manufacturer will sell accessories for their label makers through the Web or by catalog, but you might pay a little more.
Top Five Label Maker Best Buys
Some of the top rated label makers on the market, according to Consumer Guide, are Dymo label makers and Brother label makers. In fact, Diane Hatcher, president of Timesavers Professional Organizing Services in Florida, swears by her Brother PT65 portable labelmaker. Here are the five label makers Consumer Guide rated as the best buys in 2005:
Dymo LabelWriter 400 Turbo: works in conjunction with your computer to create almost any kind of label you could want or need. For less than $150, this machine can print images, custom text, or bar codes and works with a wide variety of labels, including several sizes of address labels, shipping labels, name badges, and media labels.- Brother QL-500 Label Writer: this system, which can be bought for under $90, is not portable, but is very versatile in the types of labels it creates. Create ID badges, banners, DVD labels and mailing labels. Because it only works with a computer, the QL-500 can use any TrueType font on the PC.
- Casio KL-8100: too large to be a handheld model, but extremely versatile. The KL-8100 offers a 24-character LCD, making it easy to spot errors before you print the label. It's impressive printing capabilities include 10 built-in fonts and more than 350 special symbols, including Greek and Russian characters. You can include decorative text and character frames on your labels, or you can select from seven different bar code formats. The KL-8100 lets you print text vertically for a special effect.
- Dymo RhinoPRO 5000: an impressive machine for the office. It offers most of the functions you'd expect to need in a work setting and a few you probably haven't even considered. Some of its special features include a backlit LCD for working in dark areas, special keys for creating labels specifically for various-sized cables, and a design that allows one-handed operation. It also automatically underlines the numbers "6" and "9" for easy reading from any angle. For less than $150, this machine is hard to beat in an industrial setting.
- Brother PT-1400: If versatility is the key ingredient in your search for a label writer, Brother's PT-1400 model is an outstanding choice, especially at less than $100. It features a vertically tapered body design, making it easy to hold in one hand, while offering a 30-character LCD. It can print bar codes, rotated text, and mirror text, while offering eight different text sizes and four different type widths. You can copy a single text string on as many as 99 labels.
Label Makers for Home Organization
While label makers are fun gadgets, they're more than just that. They're practical and useful devices for office organization. For instance, here are several ways Diane Hatcher, president of Timesavers Professional Organizing Services, says you can use a label maker in an office setting:
Label open shelves for supplies or in a supply cabinet.- Label file folders.
- Label edges of notebooks/binders
- Label stacking trays on your desk or elsewhere.
- Label cupboards and drawers.
About Automatic Label Dispensers
Label applicators are machines used to dispense, apply, or print and apply labels to packages. Machines range from simple manual dispensing to fully automated print and apply high production units.
Automatic label dispensers or applicators are used when high volumes labeling is needed. A photo eye detects the product as it comes down the conveyor line and triggers the application of the label at the proper time. Product handling must be tightly controlled to ensure accurate label placement.
Automatic print and apply label applicators are used for printing labels when a company has a large variety of products. They are also used when special coding (for example, date, batch number, serial numbers) is needed or when only small batches are run, and changing labels for every batch is too time consuming.
When higher volumes and labeling on conveyor lines are needed, fully automatic label applicators are the choice.
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