We thought we'd end this week full of organizing tips with a roundup on label makers. A simple label on your containers can save you time and money--find out which label makers we like the best and a few unexpected options that made the cut.
In the label making world, there are two brands that professional organizers turn to--Brother and Dymo. We actually own one of each (since neither are that pricey). We like the feel of the Brother PT-80's wide grip which allows us to easily hold it with both hands and type as if we were texting. It's standout features are the ability to print up to two lines of text and printing the time and date in six different formats.
We like the sleek look of the Dymo LetraTag Plus LT-100H with features that include a magnetic backed holder and three language selections; French, Spanish and English.
If you're going for more of a vintage-y look, this old school Dymo label maker will only set you back about $8 on Etsy.
When looking perfect is not a priority, masking tape and a Sharpie will do the job. We usually make temporary labels using tape and a marker when we're on large organizing jobs. That way if we decide to move things around or our containers change--we're not wasting the more expensive label tape.
We've seen wooden boxes or small compartments painted with chalkboard paint and then labeled with chalk. It's flirty and fun and can change at a moments notice.
Do you own a label maker?
Related Organizing Posts
A Contemporary Space in the Queen City 
Ten Tips for The Sexiest Bedroom... Like Ever (And also for finding love) 
Like us on Facebook
RSS Feed (Atom)
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Geneva Sound System...
How To Cook a Steak: 15 Recipes for a Weeknight Valentine's Meal
How To Make Cake Pops
Comments (20)
honestly if you have that much stuff that you need to buy a label maker, to label things, it may be time to purge!
GREAT MOVIE
I label everything, but I still haven't bought a good maker, I just borrow one from work for the weekend.
Oh yeah, and the vintage-y looking Dymo ones aren't so great if you are a serious labeler - the impressed words tend to fade over time and they lose their stick and curl over time as well.
I have the Brother P-Touch and use it a lot more than I thought I would. I got it free after rebate from Staples last year. My favorite thing to do is to label computer/camera cords - it makes life so much easier.
I have 2 P-Touches. One at work and one at home. I love them both and they help me stave off chaos.
You don't have to have much stuff at all to label. It is all about orginization style. I do much better, whether I'm organizing 2 items or 20, with labels and lots of structure.
I have the Brother that the Container Store sells. It comes with two rolls of tape (one clear, one white), batteries, and a nice case. It's a great value. It's the only product that Container Store employees do not get a discount on.
Ha! yes! Serenity!
Chalk is "flirty and fun"--what universe do you people live in? Labeling with chalk is fine if you change your mind every 10 minutes.
The P-Touch is great. Post could have stopped with that suggestion.
So, what's the best way to label--title, date, how specific?
They showed this photo in an earlier post. I can't remember what it was for but I was so excited to the the Serenity dvd. Huge Fan!
I'm with Bobbycat, if you really need to label everything then you've got too much stuff. Though it is amusing to see obsessive compulsive types go nuts with labels. There used to be a small photocopy shop near my house and the proprietor was extremely uptight and controlling, and she labeled everything, even the stapler. The STAPLER, for Pete's sake.
ElleBee--but did she have her name on it? I love people who put their names on everything. Ashley's Tape.
I agree w/ Palmetto, chalk isn't flirty, it's messy, scratches when you write and makes awful sounds! I like whiteboards much better.
I don't have any DVD cases at all. I put all my DVDs into binders made for CDs. There's one for drama, one for comedy, one for the kids' movies. They fit on the bookshelf, taking up no more room than three hardbacks. Why would anyone keep all the clutter of DVD boxes and buy special shelving units when it's so simple to, well, simplify?
I love my label maker!! I've got a Brother P-Touch too.
Some of my most handy labeling jobs:
Flour/Sugar: my containers are the same so it's nice at a glance to know which one to grab.
Spices: I've got a handy spice rack in a drawer with clear glass containers. Labeling is the only way to know what's what.
A home binder: Every manual for the house, from the fridge and stove, to the garage door opener and vacuum, has it's own clear sleeve in the binder labeled in the upper right hand corner. It's great tobe able to quickly flip through to find the right one.
Stainless steel containers in my craft closet: Sewing supplies, paints, ribbons, glues/tape. All labeled and stacked.
Oh and I make labels for friends and family when they want them to help justify owning one of these.
Brother P-Touch here. I label file folders, spice jars, boxes of sewing materials (notions, zippers, etc.), and tupperware containers. I hardly think it means I have Too Much Stuff. It means I don't waste time LOOKING for stuff, which is my least favorite thing to do in the world, ever, at all. I HATE looking for stuff. Hence: label maker.
We have one at work, too. Librarians bought it for labeling files, but I borrow it for files & binders. I have terrible handwriting, so everything just looks so much neater with a proper label.
BARFFFF..
buy a paint pen. $1.
i leave my dvds/cds in the original case. half the fun is the artwork.. and moving everything to a smaller case (top photo) just doubles your garbage.. and really, do you need to label the case when the disc has the title?
barf again,
matt
Matt,
You do have to label them, especially the old school two-sided discs that have the titles in really small print in the middle of the disc. Uniformity makes searching a lot less painful. And personally, all of the fun is in the disc, not the plastic case that takes up too much space.
Bobbycat5,
It may be an indication of too much stuff, but it may also be an indication of the desire for order. Look, just because we're in a consumerist society doesn't mean that throwing stuff away is the only answer to having too much stuff. How about valuing what you have and treating them nicely by storing them in an orderly manner?
I have a lot of DVDs and they are organized a certain way, but I'm slowly realizing that my technique isn't really working, especially when I'm looking for a certain movie on the go. I think I'm going this route, slim cases and labels on top.
I'm with antimatt on this one - half the fun is the cover art. Like with Vinyl...and people frame those now.
I use labels for off-season storage identification. I buy sturdy (not always clear) boxes and store with the labels face-out.
Paint pens, though. Good suggestion.
http://embritadesign.blogspot.com