Excellent labeler
December 16, 2008
I love this product !! Easy to use right out the box, does what it says, no wasted labels like the other models. Caps lock key is there, intuitive keyboard and function keys. Has batteries, can be used anywhere without being plugged in.
I purchased this labeler over other models for two reasons: Largest labels up to 1", does not waste label tape as other models do.
Great product, excellent price, five stars !!
Truly, Brother's Flagship Labeler
December 8, 2008
The Brother PT-2700 Desktop Labeler produces professional-looking labels. It can be linked up with a computer so you're able to design your label on the computer and send it to the labeler for printing via a USB cable.
A quick word about the PT-2700 (this model) vs. the PT-2710 -- the only difference between the PT 2700 and the PT-2710 is that the PT-2710 comes with a plastic case for holding the power cable and other accessories; this model does not.
Pros
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- Keyboard
The keyboard has a QWERTY layout. Although it is not a full-sized keyboard, you can type on it almost as comfortably as a regular keyboard. There's enough room between the keys so you can place your fingers in the "home position" (i.e. the asdf jkl; keys). The keys are rubberized, so they make absolutely no noise when you're typing.
- Backlight
The backlight is very bright and makes it very easy to read what's on the screen.
- Professional Printing
The text produced on the tape is sharp and professional-looking.
- Print Preview
Some reviewers say the print preview looks nothing like the actual label being printed - and I must agree - the low resolution LCD screen can only go so far in rendering the print preview. However, I personally found the preview very helpful because it does in fact provide an accurately scaled representation of the label so you have pretty good idea how big the text is relative to the label, how much margin is around the text, etc.
- Computer Hookup
You can have many more fonts or designs to choose from if you elect to design your label on your computer with the software provided. You can embellish your text by incorporating text framing or a fill Pattern. It is also capable of producing a variety of bar codes formats. To print, simply link up the label to your computer with a USB cable. Another advantage to designing your label with the computer is that the software provides a highly detailed and accurate preview of a label to be printed.
- Many types of labels to choose from
The labels come in 9/64", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4", and 1" sizes. You can also choose from white, colored (a variety of colors), clear, and matte labels. You can fit up to 7 lines on the 1" label. Select the right kind of label for your needs -- the labeler can be used to label jars, cannisters, bottles, boxes, binders, folders, envelops (e.g. address labels), storage drawers, electrical cables/wires, switches, etc. The labels can be used both indoors and outdoors because they are designed to withstand weathering.
- "crack and peel" Tape
Brother's ""crack and peel" tape make it very easy to remove the liner to expose the adhesive surface.
Cons
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- Stiff Keys
The keys on the keyboard are a little stiff, so you have to push down a little harder than you do on a regular keyboard.
- Waste of Tape
By default, the labeler snips off about an inch tape before printing a label. You can adjust the settings and bring it down to about 1/2 inch but there's no way to disable this "feature." According to Brother, the length of leader tape that's been out of the cartridge for long periods have a tendency to curl up and have to be snipped off. But if I'm printing say 10 labels, I need only to snip off the leader tape in front of my first label -- not so with the labeler, it wastes tape by snipping off the leader tape before _each_ of the 10 labels.
- No File Names
You can't use filenames to save your work on the labeler. The files can only be saved as numbers (01 - 99).
- Expensive Tape Cartridges
Some of the tapes the labeler uses are: TZ251, TZ231, and TZ131, for 1" Black on White Tape, 1/2" Black on White Tape, and 1/2" Black on Clear Tape, respectively. If you check out their prices, you can see that while they're not prohibitively expensive, they're definitely not cheap!
Conclusion
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The bottom line is the Brother PT-2700 is one of the best Desktop Labelers, and it does a fine job of producing professional looking labels. The computer connectivity is useful for giving you a wide selection of fonts and symbols. In addition, there are different colors, sizes, and types of label cartridges to choose from to suit your labelling needs. My only real gripe is the cost of the label cartridges and the wasting of tape -- apart from that, I really don't have anything significant to complain about it. If you need a labeler for a wide variety of labeling projects, I would definitely recommend this one.
Organizers rejoice!
(1 of 1 Found this Helpful)
December 1, 2008
I admit it, I have a problem. I always have. I was one of those dorks in high school (think Reese Witherspoon in Election) who had a fancy daily planner and would write down my evening's homework assignments according to a color coded system. (Red ink was for Calculus; blue ink for AP Physics; purple ink for English; etc.)
Well, this need to have everything organized and put in its proper place has only become more of an obsession as time goes by. (Of course, having a cute little baby poses some challenges to "the system".) At any rate, it got into my mind at some point that the one thing I most wanted in this world was....a label maker.
The first label maker I got was a cheapo thing from Target, made by Dymo. It cost probably [...] or less. I figured that all labelmakers were created equal. I was wrong. When you asked this thing to print in a larger font size, the text on the label was stretched out longer, not larger. And--I'm finicky about this sort of thing--the text looked ugly. It looked the way text looked on the monitor of your Apple II computer back in 1987. (When there was a diagonal slant in a letter, the Dymo printed it in a step-ladder fashion.) Plus, if you had letters which have tails (e.g., the letters g, y, j, p) those were squished and set above the line of printing. Hard to explain, but trust me, it looked bizarre and ugly. Honestly, some people only need a label maker to tell you the contents of a canister. I wanted it to look nice too. (A little Martha Stewart in me, no doubt.)
Features:
The Brother PT-2700 is one of the latest models by the manufacturer to turn to for label makers, as I learned from a little research. I promptly purchased it and am now happy as a clam.
It uses tape up to 1" wide, so you can make larger mailing labels or name tags with the 1" tape as well as tiny little labels for your CD jewel cases using 9/64" (3.5 mm) tape. (By the way, the PT-2700 can also print vertically--very helpful for those CD & DVD jewel cases.) Also, you can print up to 7 lines on a single 1" wide label.
It has 8 built-in fonts, 8 sizes (6pt to 48pt), and 12 type styles (bold, shadow, italic, mirror, outline, etc). It can underline text as well as make borders (some silly graphic borders included).
The labels come out laminated, so it's durable and can be used indoors or outdoors. There is also a huge variety of label colors available (to be purchased separately), like red text on a black background, white text on a blue background, black text on a clear label, etc.
If you run your own business, this label maker can make working bar codes for your products!
The keyboard is set up in QWERTY fashion (like a computer) which is very handy. Other label makers (including the sucky Dymo I started out with), put their keys in alphabetic order, so you have to search for each letter. Also, the PT-2700 has all the numbers and the basic symbols (&, %, $, ;, etc.) right on their keyboard. Some other label makers require you to go into a symbol menu and find the symbol every time you want to use a dash - symbol. The PT-2700 only puts the more obscure symbols in their symbol menu.
The PT-2700 can save up to 99 label files in its memory, so you don't have to go back and retype text and redo your font and size preferences. However, the memory will erase if you disconnect the PT-2700 from its power source without having battery backup. You can run the PT-2700 on the included AC adapter or use 8 AA batteries.
Another WONDERFUL feature is that you can connect it to your PC or Mac using the included USB cable (super easy!). There is a CD of software included which allows you to make more complex labels on your computer and print them to the PT-2700. In this way, a whole variety more of fonts and symbols become available.
The cons:
The LCD screen is backlit and gives you a preview of your label before you print it, which is good. But I have to admit that the screen is very simplistic and it's hard to get a real idea of the finished label from the screen alone.
The buttons are tough/sticky. Though the QWERTY board makes you tempted to type as quickly as on a computer, the buttons stick and require you to press down on each one with adequate pressure. I can't tell you the number of times I've tried to make a label quickly and had to go back and insert letters which the PT-2700 skipped because I didn't push the button hard enough. (Thank goodness for the LCD preview.)
The label maker is not that small. It is almost 7 x 10 inches and weighs 1.87 lbs. It's not something that you're going to throw into your purse or briefcase.
The biggest downside? The labels can be costly. Regular (black text on white background) Brother TZ tape is less expensive, but still runs about [...] for two cartridges on Target's website. If you want to have a variety of label sizes (I have a 1" and a 1/2" tape) and colors on hand, you're looking at a very expensive initial investment. But the 1st cartridge I've bought still hasn't run out on me and I've done a lot of labeling already. The nice thing about the PT-2700 is that it gives you the option to adjust the size of the white space that precedes and follows your text, so that you can save a little on the label tape.
Thankfully, I found the PT-2700 for [...] with rebate and also got TZ tape cartridges from an online retailer for between [...]
At that price, the PT-2700 is far superior to all the other label makers, even of the P-Touch series.
I've used it to label CDs & DVDs, electronic equipment, the flour, sugar, rice, pasta, etc. canisters in my kitchen, my kitchen shelves and drawers, notebooks, etc. Since I could run it on AA batteries, I disconnected it and brought it downstairs when my husband and I decided to rearrange and clean out our basement storage space. We had maybe 30-40 files boxes filled with books, music albums, and odds and ends. Using the PT-2700, we were able to quickly label the boxes on the side with a list of its contents. Then, using the labels as a guide, we were able to stack the boxes, organized according to the type of books, etc. I labeled all the boxes with my daughters infant clothing according to the size of the clothing--ready to be pulled out when we have our next child. This label maker really helped make me feel productive and organized.
One other thing I would recommend to users is to be careful when printing extra long labels. Since the label tape is wound so tightly in its cartridge, when you go to peel the backing off of long labels, the label may curl and stick to itself. So just use some caution if you want to prevent throwing away that label.
A Lifesaver!
(1 of 1 Found this Helpful)
November 19, 2008
Very easy to use, just read the manual. Plug it in and it is ready to go. It does waste some tape at the beginning of each imprint, but i don't think that can be avoided. Very nice script...used it to label all my file folders and "clean" things up. Worth the price.
Easy Labeling System
(2 of 2 Found this Helpful)
September 7, 2008
Very easy to use, from basic to more advanced functions, from user-friendly keyboard to easy cartridge removal and replacement. Many colors and sizes of tapes available. I do wish it had more fonts and two or three more font sizes, but it's certainly adequate for everyday use. Smooth, quiet workhorse.
