Cable Label Maker in 2024 (Brother P-Touch?)

[JimJhn]

I am looking for a new label maker.

I know this has been discussed before, but the threads are pretty old now, and there are new gizmos out there?

Basic functionality without spending a fortune (home studio, not commercial facility).

I saw that Brother has an "entry-level" IT/Cable Management labeler;

https://brothermobilesolutions.com/products/printers/p-touch/edge/pte110/

Does anyone have any experience / suggestions, both in a labeler and the actual types of labels themselves.

Again I don't want to spend allot, but need to get things more organized even for a small studio.

Some of the wiring is on the permanent side (well as permeant as a studio ever gets anyway), and some cabling change up all the time.

Thanks!

 

[scott2000]

If making your own cables, clear shrink over a label looks pretty nifty imo..

 

[pucho812]

I use a brother and have one of the edge variants.

It works great.
I second the clear shrink over a label.
Currently my labels read “this cable was stolen from pucho” it’s cut down on cables going missing.

 

[JimJhn]

Well I'll have to remember that!

 

[jeffbro]

Shrink placed over paper labels is A) too many steps for me and B) hard to do after connectors are in place.

I use self laminating labels that come in sheets. I work out the numbering and then print dozens at once. Carry the sheet to the job site and wrap the labels around the cables. The result looks great.

They come in all sizes, but something like these
https://www.showmecables.com/1-x-1-...MIzbaN8sPNiAMVL6aDBx0xHSwIEAQYAyABEgJydPD_BwE

 

[JimJhn]

Oh hey thanks!

That is very cool...what I am really looking for.

I appreciate that!

 

[Brian Roth]

Ah, yes making labels. Cut off a piece of masking tape (or white electrical tape), make a "flag" around the wire, then use a fine tip Sharpie to write the info on the "flag"! Only half-kidding....handy to make quickie temp labels.

Eons ago I used the "peel and stick" number strips that came on a notepad style book. Brady is a brand that comes to mind and electricians often use those. I still keep those in my tool kit "just in case". A quick search found an example of what I'm referring to. Many companies sell similar products.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-Wire-Marker-Book-1-48-56250/302602982

Downside is that over time, the adhesive tends to fail in a hot rack and the labels fall off. Clear heatshrink solves that. Another downside....just a number, no further info.

In the 1990's and early 2000's I was doing quite a few installs of video production studios, and I concocted my own system. I used Avery paper mailing labels in an appropriate size for the actual cable diameter. I used an Excel spreadsheet (handy visual grid pattern for the "database") and exported that into a free app Avery had available for download to print the labels onto whichever label product I chose. The Excel spreadsheet also served as part of the system wiring documentation. The labels were then encased in shrink wrap.

Example in photo below. Using the Avery app I would repeat the info several times on each label so that you didn't have to twist the wire very much to read all the info, which was:

1. unique cable number 2. SRC (source) where the signal was coming from. 3. DST (destination) where the cable was going to.^^^

As @jeffbro correctly noted, it does take extra work and lotsa heat shrink (and don't forget to slide the shrink on the cable before adding the connector)! Also no practical way to change the label info at a future time.

I have seen those self laminating labels (somewhere or another) and they look like great solution. Easy to apply and easy to change in the future. Two things come to mind. Does the adhesive last for years in a hot rack (recalling the Brady labels falling off). Do they make product that can use a laser printer (not a big deal....I should do my own research!) **

Finally...the P-Touch. A great, versatile printer. But, expensive supplies and if you decide to use heat shrink over a label (like labeling a one-off large diameter snake) the heat gun will cause the label to blacken. The P-Touch process uses heat to print the letters/numbers/clip art.

Bri

** I misread the linked data sheet as inkjet-only.

 

[kags]

The self-laminating labels last decades. I have some studios that I wired in the mid 90s and the labels are still holding up, even in warm racks. I have used both laser and ink jet to print the labels, but I think the labels were listed as ink jet style. Since the clear portion seals over the printed portion, the printing will never smudge. I often just use sharpie (fine point) to write on these labels before applying them.

They’re great for updating labels for network cables that were never labeled properly over the years. Now, if I only had more time to trace down these cables…

 

[JimJhn]

Hey thanks so much for this! The way you figured to cite the source, gear and destination has always confounded me. I knew it was a great idea, but this is a really cool coding system to identify that information without a zillion letters and numbers. It'a a great way to ID source and destination.