P-Touch. Brother PT1280 Label Maker Review

Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 9:05 pm

PT-1280 Label Maker

Do you have a label maker? Should you have a label maker? Show me someone who doesn't have a label maker and I will show you some who isn't labeling their stuff. Face it, if your stuff isn't properly labeled, you may forget what it is called and never know what it was that you were looking for the next time you are unable to find it. Fortunately, Brother P-Touch Labelers have been around for years, helping people label and find their stuff and properly identify and know what that stuff is used for once it is found.

What is the Brother P-Touch PT 1280 Label Maker?

The PT1280 Label Maker by Brother is a portable, hand-held device that makes it possible for anyone on a small budget to label household items, folders, files, and/or just about anything they want. Brother P-Touch label makers have been around for over a decade. At one time, they were larger and didn't do nearly as much or perform as well as models like the PT-1280. The PT-1280 uses a small, familiar-looking Qwerty keyboard. It runs on 6 AAA batteries and features a 15-Character LCD Display. Other features include 5 framing options, 2-line printing, auto formats, 3 type-sizes and three-keys dedicated for saving and printing your favorite labels. The PT-1280 can be found for under $30 on eBay. For an additional cost, you can buy an AC Adapter for it.

How Does the PT-1280 Work?

The PT-1280 produces labels using a common, reliable printing method known as thermal heat-transfer. The key to thermal-heat printing is actually in the tapes. The Brother PT1280 prints on four different size TZ tapes: 9/64", 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2". Type size is automatically selected based on the size tape and is not adjustable. This is not much of a drawback for a label maker for under $30.00. The one thing that I do find annoying with the PT-1280 and other Brother P-Touch printers is the way they produce a 1/2" lead before and after the label, which unnecessarily wastes tape and forces me to trim them before applying them to objects. All-in-all, the Brother P-Touch PT-1280 does a decent job. Labels print relatively fast and it is a breeze to use the first time. The strength in P-Touch printers are the laminated labels which can be found at any office supply store or eBay and come in a variety of colors:
Black-on-white, black-on-clear, black-on-red, black-on-yellow, black-on-green, black-on-blue, black-on-orange, white-on-black, white-on-clear, white-on-blue, red-on-white, blue-on-white and Colorado Buffaloes gold-on-black. You can literally choose just about any color you scheme you want to match the theme of the merchandise your are labeling. Labels can be purchased on eBay, Costco or any office supply store. a 26' long roll of tape sells for $9 to $12.00.

Why do I need a P-Touch Label Maker?

The question is, why wouldn't you want a P-Touch label maker - especially an affordable one like the PT-1280? In case you need some ideas, I have a few good ones:

Uses for the P-Touch Label Maker

Years ago, when running my own computer business, I used a Brother P-Touch label maker for serializing computer components, and labeling merchandise for sale. I found it to be a very fast, convenient way to keep organized in an office or warehouse environment.

Have you ever loaned Music CDs, DVD Videos or movies to friends and/or relatives and worried they might forget to give them back to you? Putting your name, address and phone number on your valuables is a great way to remind them who it belongs to and greatly increase your chances of getting it back.

How about labeling the wires, cables and connections on your stereo and computer components? Put labels on the back of your computer where your connections go and make it easy to reconnect all of them if you ever need to move or replace them.

Neatly label your file folders in your home office.

Lastly, stay organized and find your stuff and remember what your stuff is once you've found it!

PT-1280 Review Ratings

Performance: 80
Features: 80
Value: 90
Overall: 85

Now, that you're anxious to buy a P-Touch labeler, Product Review Ratings (PRR) has already located the best deals and prices for the PT-1280 on eBay.