Okay, so I finally decided to get organized with my cables and stuff, and I picked up a Brother P-Touch label maker. I’d heard good things, and honestly, I was tired of guessing which cord went where. Here’s how it went down, from unboxing to labeling everything in sight.
Unboxing and Setup
First things first, I ripped open the box. Inside, there was the label maker itself, a starter tape cartridge (black text on white tape), and a bunch of manuals that I promptly ignored (whoops!). It takes six AAA batteries, which, luckily, I had on hand. I popped those in the back – pretty standard battery compartment, nothing fancy.
Figuring Out the Basics
Next, I had to get the tape cartridge in. This took a second of fiddling. There’s a little lever you press to open the tape compartment. The cartridge just snaps in, but you gotta make sure the tape is feeding through the little slot correctly. I messed this up the first time and had to re-seat it.
Once that was sorted, I powered it on. The screen is pretty small and basic, but it’s clear enough. It’s not backlit, which is a bummer in low light, but hey, it’s a label maker, not a smartphone.
My First Label
I wanted to start simple, so I just typed in “TEST.” The keyboard is laid out like a mini-computer keyboard (QWERTY), so typing is easy, even with my clumsy fingers. I found the “Print” button and hit it. The machine whirred for a second, and out popped my label! It even automatically cuts the tape, which is pretty neat.
The adhesive on the back of the tape seems pretty strong. I stuck my “TEST” label on a random box, and it felt secure. I tried peeling it off, and it came off clean, no residue – good stuff.
Exploring the Options
Now for the fun part! This thing has a bunch of different fonts, symbols, and frames. I spent a good ten minutes just messing around with these. You use the arrow keys to navigate the menus, and there are dedicated buttons for fonts, symbols, and frames. It’s all pretty intuitive.
- Fonts: There are a few different styles, some bolder than others. Nothing super fancy, but enough variety for basic labeling.
- Symbols: There are tons of symbols! Electrical symbols, arrows, little pictures… I even found a smiley face.
- Frames: You can add borders around your text. Some are simple lines, others are more decorative. I found one with little stars that I thought was cute.
Labeling All the Things
After my initial testing, I went on a labeling spree. I labeled all the power cords behind my TV, my computer cables, and even the charging cables for my phone and tablet. I used different fonts and frames for different things, just to make it visually clear.
For example, I used a bold font with a simple line frame for the power cords, and a more playful font with a star frame for my phone charger. I even used some of the electrical symbols for the TV cables (like the little antenna symbol for the cable box cord).
The Verdict
Overall, I’m pretty happy with this little gadget. It’s easy to use, the labels are clear and durable, and it definitely helps me stay organized. It’s not the most high-tech device, but it does exactly what it’s supposed to do, and it does it well. I spent maybe an hour total, from unboxing to labeling a whole bunch of stuff, and I feel way more in control of my cable chaos now.