Choosing a label maker: tape system, width and tape type

Tape first: which system

Label makers for home and office use cassettes or rolls that fit only printers of the same system:

• Brother TZe: the tape for P-touch printers. The name of the Brother P-touch CUBE Plus P710BT lists TZe tape from 3.5 to 24 mm.
• Brother Btag: a simpler system for the PT-N printers, such as the Brother P-touch PT-N10, with 12 mm Btag tape.
• DYMO D1: the tape for LabelManager printers, such as the DYMO LabelManager 160.
• DYMO LetraTag: narrow 12 mm tape for LetraTag printers, such as the DYMO LetraTag 200B.
• Brother DK: rolls of die-cut labels or continuous paper for the QL printers that connect to a computer, such as the Brother QL-800.

TZe tape doesn't fit a DYMO and D1 tape doesn't fit a Brother. If you already have a stock of tape, choose a printer of the same system.

How wide should the label be?

The maximum tape width is often in the printer's name, and otherwise in the product data. A narrow 12 mm tape is enough for binder spines, drawers and plugs. For larger letters or two lines of text, you need 18 or 24 mm. The DYMO LabelManager Executive 640CB and the Brother P-touch CUBE Plus print up to 24 mm, the Brother P-touch Cube Pro PT-P910BT up to 36 mm.

A printer can usually use narrower tape of its system as well; the manual lists which widths fit. The Brother PT-H110 and the Brother PT-D210 print up to 12 mm.

Which kind of tape

Within a system there are different kinds of tape. The kind is in the name:

• Standard: ordinary tape for indoors, such as the Brother TZe-231 (black on white, 12 mm) and the TZe-241 (18 mm). Standard TZe tape is laminated: the text sits under a clear layer.
• Extra strength adhesive: for rough or curved surfaces, such as the TZe-S231.
• Flexible: for labelling cables, such as the TZe-FX621 or the DYMO D1 nylon.
• Iron-on: for clothes, such as the Brother TZe-FA3 fabric tape and the DYMO LetraTag iron-on.
• Paper and plastic: for LetraTag there is paper tape for temporary labels and plastic tape.

All label makers and tapes are under desk accessories.

Typing on the printer or through an app

There are two ways to make a label:

• With keyboard and screen: you type the text on the printer itself. That works without a phone or computer. Examples are the DYMO LabelManager 160, the Brother PT-H110 and the Brother PT-E110VP. "Qwerty" in the name means a keyboard like a computer's.
• Through an app: the printer has no keyboard and gets the text from your phone over Bluetooth. That goes for the DYMO LetraTag 200B and the Brother CUBE printers. In the app you choose fonts, symbols and sometimes QR codes.

Some printers do both, such as the Brother PT-D460BTVP, which has a keyboard and also works over Bluetooth.

Address and shipping labels

If you mainly print addresses or shipping labels, a printer with DK rolls suits better. The Brother QL-700 and the QL-800 connect to your computer and print on rolls 62 mm wide. They print thermally, so without ink or ribbon: the roll itself changes colour with heat.