Organizing...My Label Maker

Hi everyone. First, I want to thank all of you for stopping by my sewing room post this week and for your kind words. I just love sharing my ideas with all of you and I hope the post will be helpful.

In that post and other posts I've done over the years, I always say "label, label, label". Having things marked and labeled with what's inside is the key to organization and saving time and money. If you know where something is, that saves you time and frustration. It also saves you money, because you are not purchasing the same item again when you can't find it.

I use many different ways to labels things...sheets of Avery labels you can buy in an office supply store and print them on your computer, just print a label on paper and cut it out (like this week's post on labeling plastic containers), or write out your own label on tape etc.

However, my favorite and the fastest way to label something is with a label maker.

This is my P-Touch 1700 label machine made by Brother. I have no affiliation with this company...just want to share.

Come on in and see some of the features.

As you can see by the back of the instruction booklet, my machine is 14 years old!! It has definitely served me well.

It was on my wish list one Christmas, so that's always an option for you too. The holidays are coming up!!

If you are looking into buying a new version, they run in price from $30 -$130. I would stick to the lower price range, because I think the higher price machines are more of a professional level.

The pictures below are of my older machine, but the new machines still use the same tape cartridges so I'm thinking they are about the same...just fancier!

Look for machine that holds different widths of tape. Mine will print on labels from 1/4" - 3/4" wide.

Just lift up the door and it reveals the tape.

Tape cartridge just pops in and pops out easily.

 The size and color I use the most is laminated white that is 1/2" wide.

I also have 1/2" clear.

I will tell you, the tapes can cost $15-$20, but they will last forever. I'm not a jewelry or fancy gift person, so I ask for label tape or gift cards to Staples for birthdays and Christmas!!

The tapes are 26 FEET long.  I figured it out for you...if your labels are 1" - 1 1/2" long, you can get 200-300 labels from one cartridge.

This is the back of the package...see all the colors!

Colored labels are great for each member of the family or when labeling files for taxes, household insurance, medical records etc. One color for each category.

The keyboard is easy to work. Lots of features, even on this older model.

When you type the word it shows in this window.

Press "print"...

and the label comes out the side. I'm not sure about all models, but I have to advance the "feed" button once to release a little more tape before I cut it.

The cutter is built in on the side.

Here's my biggest tip...

If you have several labels to print at once, don't make individual ones and cut each one separately.

There is a starter strip of wasted tape on the left side. See it below? If you print every label separately, you will waste a lot of tape.

Just spell out a word, add 2 spaces and then spell the next word. Keep spelling until the machine tells you it's full, then press print. You will only have one of the wasted pieces on the left.

I really hope they changed that feature on the new machines, but just in case they didn't, I wanted to share that tip.

See the difference?

I just kept spelling out some fabric labels I needed, instead of making individual ones....I made one long one. Simply cut them apart yourself.

Just peel off the backing and stick.

 I love labels!! Lol

If you don't want to buy new, I have seen the older versions on Amazon and eBay.

Mine is a p-touch 1700.

Hope that answers all the questions. If you have any other questions about labeling, please feel free to ask or email.

Have a great day,
~Karen~