Well, I certainly haven't regretted the purchase of mine, and I use it for custom labels on external accessories such as intruder alarm bell-boxes. For the price, it's a pretty indispensable bit of kit!
I have this printer and I love it! I can connect it to my PC using the USB cable and use the P-Touch software to print labels with images/logos on, merge from a database or excel file. It's really useful and a million times quicker that way. I type all the labels into a spreadsheet, import into P-Touch Editor and then hit print... all my labels come out in one hit with half-cuts inbetween (saves tape as no 'tab' for each label), I roll up and take to site with me ready to go. I can also use the app on my phone to print to it over WiFi. My labels go on radios/cables up towers in all weathers, and they last brilliantly.
Sounds very clever, I didn't know it supported merge functions. That sort of thing may be useful to me when it comes to labelling up a TPN board. Not something I have to do often, but worth a look next time!
John have you ever tried the third party labels? What are your thoughts on them? I just got this labeller and have only tried the third party labels, so not sure what to think.
Thanks David great video. I was the same as yourself I got hooked into buying one of these a couple of years ago and put it away and forgot about it, then when I went to use it being a typical bloke I don't read instructions, I get generally get bored after the first paragraph!! So finding your video was excellent, I've got quite a large job on the go that is going to need a vast amount of labels printed. Cheers
2:35 - That's not actually how it works. It's not a "thermal printer" in the old thermal paper sense. The colour of the letters comes from the tape itself. Inside, each cartridge has three separate tapes. One is the background (ex., yellow, white, or clear), one is the "ink" (generally white or black, though you _can_ get other colours), and one is clear plastic. It melts the "ink" onto the underside of the clear plastic, and then melts the clear plastic onto the background. So the text is effectively laminated between the two layers. If you open a cartridge after using it, you'll find the "ink" tape is still there, with holes in the places where letters were printed. 6:16 - That's not for ease of peeling, it's due to the way the lamination works (it always wastes a bit of tape at the start of every "run"). In fact, to save tape, you can queue multiple labels, print them all as a single operation, and only the first one will have that extra blank bit.
I wish that printer had been around when I purchased my crappy Brother P-Touch. It uses the same label tape but about 15km of blank tape at the start and end of the label (actually about 25mm / 1 inch of tape at each end) is lost for each individual label printed. This is a massive amount of lost label tape that is just thrown away. The labels are also laminated as you print them which protects the text from being scratched and worn away. I used a prehistoric label printer when I cabled up my house after it was built 20 years ago and the 40 odd labels are still looking as good as the day they were printed.
This does the same and wastes one inch at the beginning. Unless you do continuous printing, where it will half cut between each label, but if you print them individually it will waste the 1" each time. They say it's the way they do the laminating of the labels which requires it.
Many thanks for the thorough review! I'm not a sparky but I just bought one as I didn't realise how reasonable the price was on this, and I have always wanted a commercial quality unit. The dinky home one I have now is just awful - the labels fade and peel off, you wrap them around cables and they unwrap themselves, and the low resolution makes the 9pt font all pixellated and difficult to read. I can't wait to start using this one as it seems perfect in comparison! I have also bought a few cheap label tapes for it from China (they are one quarter the price of the genuine ones, and they make a few colour combinations that Brother themselves don't make) so it'll be interesting to see if the cheap tapes live up to the same punishment as the genuine ones.
It's a good bit of kit alright. Will be interesting to hear how the knock-off labels do. One thing I didn't mention, the battery life is great, but it will also take double-A's if you get caught short!
@@dsesuk The knock off tapes vary widely in quality, some feel like paper and some are excellent, the trouble is that there are so many suppliers it's hard to know the really good value ones when you are buying. Some fade badly in the sunlight and others loose adhesion after a short time especially on cable flags. Where it's critical stuff I always go back to the genuine Brother supplies.
Well I've been using it for a month with the knock-off labels and so far they've all been excellent considering. The only shortcomings I've come up against are that the horizontal cut in the backing paper is a bit deep on some tapes (so you can make out a small horizontal crease through the finished label) and they have a bit of gunk near the start of the tape that gets trapped under the laminate, so I've had to reprint a couple of labels. Some of them are a fraction of a millimetre off with the laminate and backing alignment which collects dust along the top or bottom edge of the label over time, but the Brother brand tape that came with the printer also had this problem so it doesn't seem unique to the off-brand labels. But really, considering the price, they are fantastic for home use. I've left them out in the Australian sun and they haven't faded, I've stuck the "extra strong" adhesive ones to textured surfaces and they don't peel off like my old thermal labels used to - I'm completely sold! The cable flags have only been there for a couple of weeks and in my experience it takes a bit longer for them to come unstuck, so I'll need to wait a bit longer to know for sure there, but it sounds like I was quite lucky with the quality of these label tapes as they are perfectly fine for personal use!
Just another follow up on the cheap knock-off labels after about a year. The black text on yellow label I left out in the sun (subtropical Australia) has now started to fade around the edges and start to turn white, but the text is still clearly legible. Only the label in direct sunlight faded - those in indirect sunlight are fine (even where the old thermal labels used to fade after a few months). Some of the cable flags did come unstuck but this is probably related to them being in a network cabinet where the temperature is usually well above 30°C, because the genuine Brother "flexible" tape that came with the printer did the same thing. None of the labels with the extra-strong adhesive have come loose - I should try making cable flags with them now that I think about it. The 6mm knock off tape was the worst because the laminate kept working its way off the backing due to some misalignment in the tape cartridge itself, and eventually it would jam. I completely stuffed a label tape trying to fix it, but ended up disassembling it and reassembling it and it does work again, so it is possible to open the label tapes and put them back together again without ruining them, although the tapes never look the same after reassembly. My only complaint with the unit is that it only takes up to 24mm tapes and can't use the 36mm ones! Also it's a shame nobody makes a tape with transparent backing and transparent but UV-fluorescent text, so that I can put invisible labels on things that only show up under a UV light so they are a bit more discreet. Many commercial buildings label their switches and mains outlets with what breaker is feeding them and it'd be useful to do that in some homes but it doesn't look so great, however if it was invisible most of the time...
Was at Elex at Sandown Park . Come away with my second one of these, I'm not sure my first had the wifi capability. Also came away with a Spit 800E gas nailer. Fires nails into Steel beams!
hello, I would like to use TZe laminated ribbons to make labels for climbing gear in my climbing club. This means it would be applieds on curved, metal surfaces and subject to rock stripes, for exemple : on ice-axe handle or on a carabiner. Would you recommend this type of labels? specially regarding the rock stripe abrasion.
Nice They should do a version that's just a box with printer and battery inside. No need for the screen and buttons would make the whole thing a lot cheaper.
‘Ello again Mate! I’ve been listening to Wuthering Heights as narrated by that lovely little bird Joanne Froggatt. It’s real classic English literature and she really brings it to life! I must admit, you Brits do have great classics out there! P.s. I miss Benny Hill.
Long time no speak old fruit - and a change of name for you I see. How are things Stateside? I'm afraid I'm not acquainted with this Froggatt lady, but I'm glad to hear her narrative arrangement is pleasing to the ears!
@@dsesuk We’re as well as to be expected with our dottering old fool for a “President” screwing everything up. 🤦♀️ Ms. Froggatt is most famous from Downton Abby, which I like because I grew up on “Upstairs Downstairs”. I like how you say “Old Fruit”! 😹 In American “Fruit” means a gay person (Not that there’s anything wrong with that), but in England it is a classy address. 👍 P.s. I washed my hands of the electrician work and meow all my tools are safe and sound, out of danger from grubby hands “Borrowing” them! 🧰🔧🪛🔨🪜🔦
@@dsesuk I found a nice Mom & Pop Shop and I drive sweepers, scrubbers and a bit of pressure washing. I work on my own at night so there’s no; coworkers, customers, traffic, sun & heat, just peaceful solitude doing my work and enjoying audio books on the headphones. I’m currently on Animal Farm. The cat is my favorite character. Glad to hear you are well, Sir. Have “A pint” for me, my friend! 🍺🍻
Hi, I been having issues when making patch panel style labels directly on the printer without the app. If I do a block size of 18.1mm the sizing is out after a few blocks, via the app its correct. (the blocks line up with multiples of 18.1mm) I logged this issue with brother which was passed onto their development team and state its "working to spec". (I am waiting for an email confirming what the mean) However the support person said someone else has reported this issue, and stated it worked fine on older firmware (2018ish), which the development team say is not correct. I am running version 1.25, I was wondering if you had an old version you could test with? Thank you for the great content as always 👍 Thanks, Tom
Got my mitts on one of these and 1 thing is REALLY pissing in my pudding as that is the seeming inability to save labels from the Cable Maker app onto the 550. Sure I could replicate on P-Touch Editor but I shouldn't have to; either the firmware should be updated to allow the unit to store a history of transferred labels or it should prompt you to save the transferred label into your library, should you want to do so. What tapes would you say you use most David? I'm looking at black on yellow for caution labels and red on white/green on white for fire alarm/safe condition labelling, was thinking white on blue too for mandatory bumpf but not sure there would be must use for it.
If I use say a 10 way (with main switch) mcb label template on the brother pro label tool app. Then say I only need m/s + 4ways printed. I’ve worked out how to delete ways 5 to 10. But the label length is still original length. How do you reduce overall label length (wastage) just to print the 4 ways required?
A shame alot of the signage, warnings and panel layouts are set up for Europe. I bought this but here in the US not much of the APP signage is much use here.
I'm surprised to hear it's not regionalised Nick. You could knock up your own labels if you're handy with the editor, but I wonder if Brother have any template downloads on their US website?
So this video is now 3/4 years old. My question: is there now a better product on the market? I'm thinking iOS app and a small portable printer (no crappy screen or keyboard).
You may be surprised to hear this, but micro USB actually has significantly more connection cycles than mini USB, from memory I recall micro is rated at something like 10k cycles where as mini USB is only 1000 or so.
I often wonder the same thing, I have one of these, if i was to guess I think they probably chose it due to the fact that it's harder to force a mini usb into the connector the wrong way, you know know what some of us can be like with tiny connectors. :)
You can forget about mini/micro connectors it's all USB - C now! It can be plugged in anyway round, it's gigabit fast and has a k/amp charge capability 😉
Yep! A lot of people have this view of microUSB as being weak, which I think stems from having microUSB sockets breaking off of smartphones in the past. I expect that that's usually been a failure of the socket's mechanical connection to the PCB and/or its electrical connections to the PCB, rather than a failure of the part of the socket that mates with the microUSB plug. And yes, that can still mean that the socket itself is weak, but there are *dozens* (hundreds?) of different microUSB sockets available, especially if you include those from Chinese manufacturers as well as those available on Digikey/Farnell/etc - I've repeatedly come across AliExpress listings for "one each of 50 different types of microUSB socket" - and the mechanical PCB attachment design of them varies *considerably!* Some of them have nothing but a couple of puny surface-mount pads! No doubt if you read the datasheet for those it says that they're for specialist applications with few cycles where through-hole variants aren't an option, but that doesn't stop stupid designers inappropriately using them on a smartphone! On my own PCBs I use a style that I think I've seen described on AliExpress listings as "horns" or "bull horns", because the "back" of it has a wide U-shaped pair of pins that extend about 1.0mm below the connector and through the PCB, AND two more such pins on the sides, about halfway between the front and the back. If those go through a plated through-hole and those holes are filled with solder, there is *no way* that's coming loose without enough force that you'd be damaging other things as well!
david, can this printer edit templates made through the computer software? for example, we would like to make a calibration sticker template using the computer software, then import it to the label maker and take it on site so that the technicians can enter the date, their name, etc. we bought one of the p touch units and it didnt have this capability.
No, I don't think it will do what you require. I may be wrong, but my understanding of the templates is that they are treated simply as a fixed image by the printer. As an example, I use mine to produce equipment asset labels, but I use the PC to increment the asset number; I can't edit details on the printer itself. There's no way I know of to superimpose information into blank spaces on the template from the printer itself.
Hi David, I noticed that there's an excess blank space for example in 20:19 and 10:02. When does this happened in every printing? Thank you very much...
Hi Sherwin. Are you referring to the tab at the left of each label? If so, yes, and it's annoying how much label gets wasted in this way, but that's been a 'feature' of every label printer I've owned. It's to make it easier to peel the sticker from the backing, but it doesn't need to be as big as it is and I've never found a way to make it smaller. Of course, it's in Brother's interest for tape to be wasted as it means you'll be buying a new cassette sooner rather than later!
Hi David, have you had this problem.... I designed a label using Haettenschweiler (a condensed font - but I tried many others including Consolas and Arial Condensed) and when I went to Transfer Template / Preview, the preview showed that the fonts had been rearranged, resized and the text frames had shifted. Well, if I interface printed (printing direct through the ptouch550w from the PC) then the label came out fine, but once transferred to the 550w, it was stored as per the preview: completely wankered! Now I wondered A whether you have found this B whether it happens only with some fonts (as I said, I've tried many) . Background info: I've tried reloading the software updating firmware of the 550w, and version 5.1 and 5.2 of the ptouch software. Any ideas?
Hi Rupert. Can't say I've had this issue myself. I only have a handful of transferred templates, but they seem to have behaved. I'd have thought the software would turn the design into a simple image file which then gets transferred over, so it's not like it ought to be down to the fonts themselves as they should appear on the printer as they do on the screen. I'm on the latest software and firmware after upgrading recently. One thing you could try is to assemble the label using an art package (I use GIMP), save it as a JPG or PNG, then import or cut/paste it into a new label and see if that will transfer in rather than using the P-Touch editor software directly. It depends on how your art package skillage is though! It should be possible to knock something up in Paint as a basic test.
Hi Alvin. This link is where I bought one of my recent tapes from and it contains a compatibility guide in the pictures: amzn.to/2KJcfj0 - If this fits my E550WVP, it will also work with the other models listed for the same tape size.
I read somewhere that Mini USB was actually removed from the standards (not just obsolete and forgotten, but positively deleted and unsupported). I think this is why so many Chinese products have the Mini USB, as there's no risk of a licensing fee any more. Not sure why a mainstream product would feature it though, maybe they had excess inventory of mini ports leftover? I'm pretty sure this was quite a few years ago, but then again I can't be sure if it was correct at time of your recording.
I personally like mini USB B (which this is) quite a lot. Full size USB B is often a tad bulky, although that would have worked for this device. And micro USB B is far too fragile for my tastes. Especially on a job site it won't take long for dust and dirt to get in that port and block it. These days I would have preferred USB C though, that's rapidly becoming _the_ standard.
Micro-B connectors (which were the most common ones) are still in the spec - the Micro-A plugs and the Micro-AB sockets are both officially deprecated and no longer supported. There are in fact no license issues with any of the USB connectors and they can all be freely implemented and used by anyone - what IS licensed are the logos and some trademarked terms. One strange thing is that "USB" is not trademarked, but "USB-C" is - so if you put a USB-C port on a device and mark it "USB" then that's fine - but if you correctly label it "USB-C" then you need a license. I sometimes suspect that a global cull of IP lawyers would make things a lot simpler for everyone.
The battery is great. I don't need to use it every day, but it goes weeks without a charge. I don't think I mentioned it in the video, but the battery pack can be removed and 6 AA cells installed, so if you think you might be caught short on charge, keep a packet of Duracells to hand!
The regulations do state that the font sized used be no smaller than that displayed in the examples shown in BS7671, however they use a font so large that you'd struggle to apply all the required labels onto any CU. Most label sheets supplied by the manufacturers apply a smaller font. Printing something like a two-colours label using this device will also result in a label that uses a smaller text. Then again, the two-colours label is a waste of time, the RCD notice is worded horrendously and the inspection/testing notice is not fit for purpose. Hopefully, 18th Ed. Amendment 2 in March will address the hopelessness of labelling. Or... more likely not.
@@dsesuk Totally agree. The information at a consumer unit needs an overhaul to simplify and improve usability. Ideally it should now be done exclusively in emojis.
Hey David, you've had this for about two years now, hows the unit holding up? Mainly concerned with the automatic cutter over time b/c obviously if that goes It'll make the unite quite difficult, considering the 300vp because of it. Thinking about purchasing one because my dymo rhino is just rubbish, print fades and the thing doesn't even have a "+" symbol as far as i can tell among other useful symbols, and the labels are far inferior compared to the Tze ones brother makes.
Did you discover the facilit6y yet I found the other day, of being able to print 2" height warning labels, using the laptop software, it will print the top half, and then the bottom half on 1" tape, you stick one below the other and it kind of works!?
Thanks for the review, this is what I'm looking to purchase. Off topic- what kind of phone do you have? It looks like a Blackberry/iPhone Hybrid. I hated giving up my company Blackberry years ago. I could type so fast on it! With the touch screen I make way too many mistakes!
Thanks. It's a Blackberry KeyOne and it runs Android. I too don't get on with touchscreen typing, although I admit the KeyOne keyboard is a little stiffer than Blackberries I used to use. They've since brought out the Key2 which got better reviews for its keyboard. A pricey bit of kit, but has the stuff you like about the Blackberry hardware merged with the functionality of the Android OS.
I have a dual SIM BlackBerry Key2 - great handset although I wish RIM had maintained BlackBerry OS. Later versions of BlackBerry OS (e.g. with the BlackBerry Passport) could also run Android apps. I too have this label printer and I too haven't used most of the functions on it!
@@richardwalsh5882 My Blackberry Torch 9800 was perhaps the best phone I'd ever owned! I miss it and it's OS (I'm no fan of Android or iOS, but that's what we're all stuck with now!)
I’ve been wanting to get a label printer for my small business for the longest time and finally pulled the trigger. I’m glad I did ! This machine is great ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxw55tQTywUAAOsbrlwxONZULry77sFF1Q and the blue/green color matches the rest of the accents in my office. My favorite part is how small the footprint is. It’s less than 1/4 the size of my regular printer. Set up was fairly easy. Seller will email you a link with video instructions Which I found to be more helpful than the written instructions. I use a Mac and had no issues. They even included an adaptor for USB to USB-c which is great because I’m always losing mine! I had a few issues getting the labels to print properly and wasted quite a few sheets. You need to play around with the settings to get everything adjusted just right. If you have the wrong settings, it’ll crop off the edges or feed through blank labels. These aren’t issues with the machine though, just user error.
David Savery Electrical Services yup you’re probably right there, maybe worth trying on personal stuff first. Do you think you could do damage to the printer? Suppose you always run the risk with non genuine..
Can't see it damaging the printer itself unless it gums up inside the thing. I don't think the price of the genuine Brother tapes is too onerous though, they're usually about a tenner for eight metres which adds up to a lot of labels!
Alvin Tan I’ve been running a generic I found on eBay for AU$4. (The original 12mm brother tapes cost just shy of $40 here) So far so good, have had the label out in the sun and rain for about a week, no signs on delamination or fading! Print is good, no blemishes
David, awesome review. However, I don't know how to create a string of DIFFERENT labels in the printer on the fly and print them with half cut option? Even when I press shift+enter, and it seems to create a different label, it ends up printing as if it was only one label. Sorry to bother you but this is making me crazy!
Hi! Same issue. Seem that using general fuction there is no way to obtain different pages. I solved in this way: press "patch panel" choosing a number of blocks (e.g. 5); write inside each block according to your needs; press "general" and press enter/return. All blocks will be converted in different pages. Probably it is not the proper way but at least is something.
Go to Menu -> Cut option -> #5. If you bought a real 550 and not a 300 or 500, that will make it do the continuous label with half cut. Remember, though, that only works if you print more than one label at a time. If you print one at a time it won't make a difference, except you will need to hit the "Feed & cut" button then press OK to get it to cut the last one.
Anyone else had trouble linking to the software? My pc can see the brother pte550 but software always complains about drivers even though they have also been installed, automatically by windows and I've downloaded the ones of the site. 🤷♂️ App works great just be nice to connect to pc too.
Not graphically, I tend to use text labels for final circuits. I try to use the manufacturer labels where possible, but there always seems to be one circuit they haven't accounted for!
Worst case price is about £12 - £13 with VAT, although cheaper deals can be found online. The tapes are eight metres long so you get a lot of labels out of them, and they're stocked by the likes of CEF, Edmundsons and Denmans. I carry a 12mm white, 24mm white and 24mm yellow which works for circuit-way labelling, RCD/two-colours labelling and caution labelling (400V, earthing point, etc.)
Using an iPhone for the stock labels but the wiring colours label doesn't have the word 'caution' above it? Did you create this or is it just different on the iPhone app version?
Currently £124.95 at TLC ex-VAT. I think the show special price I paid may have been nearer the £120 mark, but I can't remember now if that was with or without VAT.
Bought the 300 on a special, toolstation for £50.00, does everything I need it for, but that looks the dogs bollocks, little boy loves the lightning strikes, skulls and biohazard symbols, boy does he like long tapes 😭😭😭, works a treat for a perpetual covid warning on the front on the front door, keeps t.v licensing away.
How can that little thing weigh “A hundreds pounds” as you claim? And if so, how co you handle it so easily? Very confusing, or just more fake news from Londonistan?
A form of currency rather than weight, which is obvious from the context and location, that location not being London incidentally as I'm elsewhere in the UK, a fact also given in the video. You can believe that, and anything else I say, to be bogus if you wish, but it isn't 'fake news' as it really isn't any kind of news unless you live in some trailer park backwater where hearing of a WiFi enabled label printer is mind-bending enough to grab the local headlines and have the natives talking in excited tones over their moonshine stills.
The second you said it's UV resistant and won't degrade in rain on top of its ease of use, I was sold! An added bonus is multi line words.
Well, I certainly haven't regretted the purchase of mine, and I use it for custom labels on external accessories such as intruder alarm bell-boxes. For the price, it's a pretty indispensable bit of kit!
It is jolly useful. Bloody good show, mate.
Get e550wsp it contains 4 cartridges instead of 2. E550wvp is the value pack with 2 cartridges. The USB cable is included in the pack.
Thanks for the very detailed review David.
Based on your review I bought one. Excellent unit, highly recommended.
I'm glad it helped Albert, it's a good bit of kit!
I think I'm falling into the same trap...
I’m changing career to a Sparky, have just bought this labeller based on your recommendation. Thanks very much 🙂
I have this printer and I love it! I can connect it to my PC using the USB cable and use the P-Touch software to print labels with images/logos on, merge from a database or excel file. It's really useful and a million times quicker that way. I type all the labels into a spreadsheet, import into P-Touch Editor and then hit print... all my labels come out in one hit with half-cuts inbetween (saves tape as no 'tab' for each label), I roll up and take to site with me ready to go.
I can also use the app on my phone to print to it over WiFi.
My labels go on radios/cables up towers in all weathers, and they last brilliantly.
Sounds very clever, I didn't know it supported merge functions. That sort of thing may be useful to me when it comes to labelling up a TPN board. Not something I have to do often, but worth a look next time!
Why use USB for computer if it'll handle wifi ?
John have you ever tried the third party labels? What are your thoughts on them? I just got this labeller and have only tried the third party labels, so not sure what to think.
Russian Russian language is supported by the application on the phone, will the device print in Russian?
Thanks David great video.
I was the same as yourself I got hooked into buying one of these a couple of years ago and put it away and forgot about it, then when I went to use it being a typical bloke I don't read instructions, I get generally get bored after the first paragraph!! So finding your video was excellent, I've got quite a large job on the go that is going to need a vast amount of labels printed.
Cheers
I do not need this device at all, but now, I want one 😅 Thank you very much for the video. Have a great day.
Had one of these for years had no idea it could do so much. I inherited it from a previous company
Interesting
2:35 - That's not actually how it works. It's not a "thermal printer" in the old thermal paper sense.
The colour of the letters comes from the tape itself. Inside, each cartridge has three separate tapes. One is the background (ex., yellow, white, or clear), one is the "ink" (generally white or black, though you _can_ get other colours), and one is clear plastic. It melts the "ink" onto the underside of the clear plastic, and then melts the clear plastic onto the background. So the text is effectively laminated between the two layers.
If you open a cartridge after using it, you'll find the "ink" tape is still there, with holes in the places where letters were printed.
6:16 - That's not for ease of peeling, it's due to the way the lamination works (it always wastes a bit of tape at the start of every "run"). In fact, to save tape, you can queue multiple labels, print them all as a single operation, and only the first one will have that extra blank bit.
I wish that printer had been around when I purchased my crappy Brother P-Touch. It uses the same label tape but about 15km of blank tape at the start and end of the label (actually about 25mm / 1 inch of tape at each end) is lost for each individual label printed. This is a massive amount of lost label tape that is just thrown away. The labels are also laminated as you print them which protects the text from being scratched and worn away.
I used a prehistoric label printer when I cabled up my house after it was built 20 years ago and the 40 odd labels are still looking as good as the day they were printed.
This does the same and wastes one inch at the beginning. Unless you do continuous printing, where it will half cut between each label, but if you print them individually it will waste the 1" each time. They say it's the way they do the laminating of the labels which requires it.
Greatest label maker I’ve ever owned!
Just bought an E110 it's now getting traded in
Good insight on how to use printer
Used it to print random labels to replace those stuck by the IT guys on the server.
The two colours label relates to the whole installation, as written on the label, not just the consumer unit.
Many thanks for the thorough review! I'm not a sparky but I just bought one as I didn't realise how reasonable the price was on this, and I have always wanted a commercial quality unit. The dinky home one I have now is just awful - the labels fade and peel off, you wrap them around cables and they unwrap themselves, and the low resolution makes the 9pt font all pixellated and difficult to read. I can't wait to start using this one as it seems perfect in comparison! I have also bought a few cheap label tapes for it from China (they are one quarter the price of the genuine ones, and they make a few colour combinations that Brother themselves don't make) so it'll be interesting to see if the cheap tapes live up to the same punishment as the genuine ones.
It's a good bit of kit alright. Will be interesting to hear how the knock-off labels do. One thing I didn't mention, the battery life is great, but it will also take double-A's if you get caught short!
@@dsesuk The knock off tapes vary widely in quality, some feel like paper and some are excellent, the trouble is that there are so many suppliers it's hard to know the really good value ones when you are buying. Some fade badly in the sunlight and others loose adhesion after a short time especially on cable flags. Where it's critical stuff I always go back to the genuine Brother supplies.
Well I've been using it for a month with the knock-off labels and so far they've all been excellent considering. The only shortcomings I've come up against are that the horizontal cut in the backing paper is a bit deep on some tapes (so you can make out a small horizontal crease through the finished label) and they have a bit of gunk near the start of the tape that gets trapped under the laminate, so I've had to reprint a couple of labels. Some of them are a fraction of a millimetre off with the laminate and backing alignment which collects dust along the top or bottom edge of the label over time, but the Brother brand tape that came with the printer also had this problem so it doesn't seem unique to the off-brand labels.
But really, considering the price, they are fantastic for home use. I've left them out in the Australian sun and they haven't faded, I've stuck the "extra strong" adhesive ones to textured surfaces and they don't peel off like my old thermal labels used to - I'm completely sold! The cable flags have only been there for a couple of weeks and in my experience it takes a bit longer for them to come unstuck, so I'll need to wait a bit longer to know for sure there, but it sounds like I was quite lucky with the quality of these label tapes as they are perfectly fine for personal use!
Just another follow up on the cheap knock-off labels after about a year. The black text on yellow label I left out in the sun (subtropical Australia) has now started to fade around the edges and start to turn white, but the text is still clearly legible. Only the label in direct sunlight faded - those in indirect sunlight are fine (even where the old thermal labels used to fade after a few months). Some of the cable flags did come unstuck but this is probably related to them being in a network cabinet where the temperature is usually well above 30°C, because the genuine Brother "flexible" tape that came with the printer did the same thing. None of the labels with the extra-strong adhesive have come loose - I should try making cable flags with them now that I think about it.
The 6mm knock off tape was the worst because the laminate kept working its way off the backing due to some misalignment in the tape cartridge itself, and eventually it would jam. I completely stuffed a label tape trying to fix it, but ended up disassembling it and reassembling it and it does work again, so it is possible to open the label tapes and put them back together again without ruining them, although the tapes never look the same after reassembly.
My only complaint with the unit is that it only takes up to 24mm tapes and can't use the 36mm ones! Also it's a shame nobody makes a tape with transparent backing and transparent but UV-fluorescent text, so that I can put invisible labels on things that only show up under a UV light so they are a bit more discreet. Many commercial buildings label their switches and mains outlets with what breaker is feeding them and it'd be useful to do that in some homes but it doesn't look so great, however if it was invisible most of the time...
Was at Elex at Sandown Park . Come away with my second one of these, I'm not sure my first had the wifi capability. Also came away with a Spit 800E gas nailer. Fires nails into Steel beams!
LAsparkTV Wire&Test Limited Here in ‘Murica, we use that nail gun to stick the cloves into our Thanksgiving Ham! 🇺🇸 🦅
I believe you refined English gentlemen call it;
Ham- Gammon
Cloves- Queen’s Nails.
Long live the Queen!
👸🏼👑🇬🇧
@@catlady8324 Hi Karl, are you a Saffa?
LAsparkTV Wire&Test Limited Saffa? I had to google that term. Does that mean “South African”? Surely you jest, Sir!
Great presentation. Followed step by step. Thanks 👍
hello, I would like to use TZe laminated ribbons to make labels for climbing gear in my climbing club. This means it would be applieds on curved, metal surfaces and subject to rock stripes, for exemple : on ice-axe handle or on a carabiner. Would you recommend this type of labels? specially regarding the rock stripe abrasion.
Thanks for this video, I've just ordered one 👍
Great review David .
I saw a label maker in Aldi, not sure it was any good .
That brother looks great .
Nice
They should do a version that's just a box with printer and battery inside. No need for the screen and buttons would make the whole thing a lot cheaper.
‘Ello again Mate! I’ve been listening to Wuthering Heights as narrated by that lovely little bird Joanne Froggatt. It’s real classic English literature and she really brings it to life! I must admit, you Brits do have great classics out there! P.s. I miss Benny Hill.
Long time no speak old fruit - and a change of name for you I see. How are things Stateside? I'm afraid I'm not acquainted with this Froggatt lady, but I'm glad to hear her narrative arrangement is pleasing to the ears!
@@dsesuk We’re as well as to be expected with our dottering old fool for a “President” screwing everything up. 🤦♀️ Ms. Froggatt is most famous from Downton Abby, which I like because I grew up on “Upstairs Downstairs”. I like how you say “Old Fruit”! 😹 In American “Fruit” means a gay person (Not that there’s anything wrong with that), but in England it is a classy address. 👍
P.s. I washed my hands of the electrician work and meow all my tools are safe and sound, out of danger from grubby hands “Borrowing” them! 🧰🔧🪛🔨🪜🔦
@@catlady8324 Ah, yes, the old fruit was indeed a term of endearment on these windy shores! What are you up to these days?
@@dsesuk I found a nice Mom & Pop Shop and I drive sweepers, scrubbers and a bit of pressure washing. I work on my own at night so there’s no; coworkers, customers, traffic, sun & heat, just peaceful solitude doing my work and enjoying audio books on the headphones. I’m currently on Animal Farm. The cat is my favorite character.
Glad to hear you are well, Sir. Have “A pint” for me, my friend! 🍺🍻
I will indeed have a quick snifter in your name! The job you're on sounds idyllic - what brand are you working for?
Hi,
I been having issues when making patch panel style labels directly on the printer without the app.
If I do a block size of 18.1mm the sizing is out after a few blocks, via the app its correct. (the blocks line up with multiples of 18.1mm)
I logged this issue with brother which was passed onto their development team and state its "working to spec". (I am waiting for an email confirming what the mean)
However the support person said someone else has reported this issue, and stated it worked fine on older firmware (2018ish), which the development team say is not correct.
I am running version 1.25, I was wondering if you had an old version you could test with?
Thank you for the great content as always 👍
Thanks,
Tom
Got my mitts on one of these and 1 thing is REALLY pissing in my pudding as that is the seeming inability to save labels from the Cable Maker app onto the 550. Sure I could replicate on P-Touch Editor but I shouldn't have to; either the firmware should be updated to allow the unit to store a history of transferred labels or it should prompt you to save the transferred label into your library, should you want to do so.
What tapes would you say you use most David? I'm looking at black on yellow for caution labels and red on white/green on white for fire alarm/safe condition labelling, was thinking white on blue too for mandatory bumpf but not sure there would be must use for it.
If I use say a 10 way (with main switch) mcb label template on the brother pro label tool app. Then say I only need m/s + 4ways printed. I’ve worked out how to delete ways 5 to 10. But the label length is still original length. How do you reduce overall label length (wastage) just to print the 4 ways required?
A shame alot of the signage, warnings and panel layouts are set up for Europe. I bought this but here in the US not much of the APP signage is much use here.
I'm surprised to hear it's not regionalised Nick. You could knock up your own labels if you're handy with the editor, but I wonder if Brother have any template downloads on their US website?
So this video is now 3/4 years old. My question: is there now a better product on the market? I'm thinking iOS app and a small portable printer (no crappy screen or keyboard).
You may be surprised to hear this, but micro USB actually has significantly more connection cycles than mini USB, from memory I recall micro is rated at something like 10k cycles where as mini USB is only 1000 or so.
PyroDanUK I stand corrected as well as surprised! I wonder why they went for mini on this thing then if it wasn't for durability?
I often wonder the same thing, I have one of these, if i was to guess I think they probably chose it due to the fact that it's harder to force a mini usb into the connector the wrong way, you know know what some of us can be like with tiny connectors. :)
You can forget about mini/micro connectors it's all USB - C now! It can be plugged in anyway round, it's gigabit fast and has a k/amp charge capability 😉
Yep! A lot of people have this view of microUSB as being weak, which I think stems from having microUSB sockets breaking off of smartphones in the past. I expect that that's usually been a failure of the socket's mechanical connection to the PCB and/or its electrical connections to the PCB, rather than a failure of the part of the socket that mates with the microUSB plug.
And yes, that can still mean that the socket itself is weak, but there are *dozens* (hundreds?) of different microUSB sockets available, especially if you include those from Chinese manufacturers as well as those available on Digikey/Farnell/etc - I've repeatedly come across AliExpress listings for "one each of 50 different types of microUSB socket" - and the mechanical PCB attachment design of them varies *considerably!* Some of them have nothing but a couple of puny surface-mount pads! No doubt if you read the datasheet for those it says that they're for specialist applications with few cycles where through-hole variants aren't an option, but that doesn't stop stupid designers inappropriately using them on a smartphone!
On my own PCBs I use a style that I think I've seen described on AliExpress listings as "horns" or "bull horns", because the "back" of it has a wide U-shaped pair of pins that extend about 1.0mm below the connector and through the PCB, AND two more such pins on the sides, about halfway between the front and the back. If those go through a plated through-hole and those holes are filled with solder, there is *no way* that's coming loose without enough force that you'd be damaging other things as well!
I’m looking at this or the e300 model below. I’d this worth the extra do you think? Thanks in advance
david, can this printer edit templates made through the computer software? for example, we would like to make a calibration sticker template using the computer software, then import it to the label maker and take it on site so that the technicians can enter the date, their name, etc. we bought one of the p touch units and it didnt have this capability.
No, I don't think it will do what you require. I may be wrong, but my understanding of the templates is that they are treated simply as a fixed image by the printer. As an example, I use mine to produce equipment asset labels, but I use the PC to increment the asset number; I can't edit details on the printer itself. There's no way I know of to superimpose information into blank spaces on the template from the printer itself.
Hi David, I noticed that there's an excess blank space for example in 20:19 and 10:02. When does this happened in every printing? Thank you very much...
Hi Sherwin. Are you referring to the tab at the left of each label? If so, yes, and it's annoying how much label gets wasted in this way, but that's been a 'feature' of every label printer I've owned. It's to make it easier to peel the sticker from the backing, but it doesn't need to be as big as it is and I've never found a way to make it smaller. Of course, it's in Brother's interest for tape to be wasted as it means you'll be buying a new cassette sooner rather than later!
Funny you should say GYM that's the reason I purchased this printer🤪🤪
Does this work with heat shrink tube tape?
Hi David, have you had this problem.... I designed a label using Haettenschweiler (a condensed font - but I tried many others including Consolas and Arial Condensed) and when I went to Transfer Template / Preview, the preview showed that the fonts had been rearranged, resized and the text frames had shifted. Well, if I interface printed (printing direct through the ptouch550w from the PC) then the label came out fine, but once transferred to the 550w, it was stored as per the preview: completely wankered! Now I wondered A whether you have found this B whether it happens only with some fonts (as I said, I've tried many) . Background info: I've tried reloading the software updating firmware of the 550w, and version 5.1 and 5.2 of the ptouch software. Any ideas?
Hi Rupert. Can't say I've had this issue myself. I only have a handful of transferred templates, but they seem to have behaved. I'd have thought the software would turn the design into a simple image file which then gets transferred over, so it's not like it ought to be down to the fonts themselves as they should appear on the printer as they do on the screen. I'm on the latest software and firmware after upgrading recently. One thing you could try is to assemble the label using an art package (I use GIMP), save it as a JPG or PNG, then import or cut/paste it into a new label and see if that will transfer in rather than using the P-Touch editor software directly. It depends on how your art package skillage is though! It should be possible to knock something up in Paint as a basic test.
Thanks for the review! Just want to know, the labels of this unit, can be used with all other P-Touch printer models?
Hi Alvin. This link is where I bought one of my recent tapes from and it contains a compatibility guide in the pictures: amzn.to/2KJcfj0 - If this fits my E550WVP, it will also work with the other models listed for the same tape size.
@@dsesuk Thanks for the link, will check it out. Whats the difference of the E550WVP with E550W?
I'm not actually sure. Whatever it is would just be a feature difference though, the label compatibility and form factor is the same.
@@alvint4944 In case you never found out, I believe the VP version is "value pack", which includes the case, etc.
I read somewhere that Mini USB was actually removed from the standards (not just obsolete and forgotten, but positively deleted and unsupported). I think this is why so many Chinese products have the Mini USB, as there's no risk of a licensing fee any more. Not sure why a mainstream product would feature it though, maybe they had excess inventory of mini ports leftover?
I'm pretty sure this was quite a few years ago, but then again I can't be sure if it was correct at time of your recording.
I personally like mini USB B (which this is) quite a lot. Full size USB B is often a tad bulky, although that would have worked for this device. And micro USB B is far too fragile for my tastes. Especially on a job site it won't take long for dust and dirt to get in that port and block it. These days I would have preferred USB C though, that's rapidly becoming _the_ standard.
Micro-B connectors (which were the most common ones) are still in the spec - the Micro-A plugs and the Micro-AB sockets are both officially deprecated and no longer supported. There are in fact no license issues with any of the USB connectors and they can all be freely implemented and used by anyone - what IS licensed are the logos and some trademarked terms. One strange thing is that "USB" is not trademarked, but "USB-C" is - so if you put a USB-C port on a device and mark it "USB" then that's fine - but if you correctly label it "USB-C" then you need a license. I sometimes suspect that a global cull of IP lawyers would make things a lot simpler for everyone.
Great review. Are all those labels preinstalled in the Brother App?
Nice video, Thank You. And how it looks with battery life? Thanks
The battery is great. I don't need to use it every day, but it goes weeks without a charge. I don't think I mentioned it in the video, but the battery pack can be removed and 6 AA cells installed, so if you think you might be caught short on charge, keep a packet of Duracells to hand!
Sold will be buying one.
Robust label ? - magnifier glass in the sun proof ?
Is there not a regulation stating minimum sizes of all those warning that go on a consumer unit?
The regulations do state that the font sized used be no smaller than that displayed in the examples shown in BS7671, however they use a font so large that you'd struggle to apply all the required labels onto any CU. Most label sheets supplied by the manufacturers apply a smaller font. Printing something like a two-colours label using this device will also result in a label that uses a smaller text. Then again, the two-colours label is a waste of time, the RCD notice is worded horrendously and the inspection/testing notice is not fit for purpose. Hopefully, 18th Ed. Amendment 2 in March will address the hopelessness of labelling. Or... more likely not.
@@dsesuk Totally agree. The information at a consumer unit needs an overhaul to simplify and improve usability. Ideally it should now be done exclusively in emojis.
Hey David, you've had this for about two years now, hows the unit holding up?
Mainly concerned with the automatic cutter over time b/c obviously if that goes It'll make the unite quite difficult, considering the 300vp because of it.
Thinking about purchasing one because my dymo rhino is just rubbish, print fades and the thing doesn't even have a "+" symbol as far as i can tell among other useful symbols, and the labels are far inferior compared to the Tze ones brother makes.
No complaints and no problems Alan. It's on the van every day, and is there when I need it!
Did you discover the facilit6y yet I found the other day, of being able to print 2" height warning labels, using the laptop software, it will print the top half, and then the bottom half on 1" tape, you stick one below the other and it kind of works!?
Ah, no, that's a new one on me Rupert. I shall have to investigate!
How do we do that? I have the same unit
Thanks for the review, this is what I'm looking to purchase. Off topic- what kind of phone do you have? It looks like a Blackberry/iPhone Hybrid. I hated giving up my company Blackberry years ago. I could type so fast on it! With the touch screen I make way too many mistakes!
Thanks. It's a Blackberry KeyOne and it runs Android. I too don't get on with touchscreen typing, although I admit the KeyOne keyboard is a little stiffer than Blackberries I used to use. They've since brought out the Key2 which got better reviews for its keyboard. A pricey bit of kit, but has the stuff you like about the Blackberry hardware merged with the functionality of the Android OS.
Cool, I'll check it out. Thanks Mate!
I have a dual SIM BlackBerry Key2 - great handset although I wish RIM had maintained BlackBerry OS. Later versions of BlackBerry OS (e.g. with the BlackBerry Passport) could also run Android apps. I too have this label printer and I too haven't used most of the functions on it!
@@richardwalsh5882 My Blackberry Torch 9800 was perhaps the best phone I'd ever owned! I miss it and it's OS (I'm no fan of Android or iOS, but that's what we're all stuck with now!)
Very useful. Thanks
19:25 Where to stick your freshly printed label ?
Shame you haven't a laptop handy that's not already labelled up with such !
I’ve been wanting to get a label printer for my small business for the longest time and finally pulled the trigger. I’m glad I did ! This machine is great ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxw55tQTywUAAOsbrlwxONZULry77sFF1Q and the blue/green color matches the rest of the accents in my office. My favorite part is how small the footprint is. It’s less than 1/4 the size of my regular printer. Set up was fairly easy. Seller will email you a link with video instructions Which I found to be more helpful than the written instructions. I use a Mac and had no issues. They even included an adaptor for USB to USB-c which is great because I’m always losing mine! I had a few issues getting the labels to print properly and wasted quite a few sheets. You need to play around with the settings to get everything adjusted just right. If you have the wrong settings, it’ll crop off the edges or feed through blank labels. These aren’t issues with the machine though, just user error.
Have you ever tried the "Compatible" tapes? ie generic!
No I haven't. My concern would be how a cheaper third-party tape would last over time and whether it would fade, degrade or lose adhesion.
David Savery Electrical Services yup you’re probably right there, maybe worth trying on personal stuff first. Do you think you could do damage to the printer? Suppose you always run the risk with non genuine..
Can't see it damaging the printer itself unless it gums up inside the thing. I don't think the price of the genuine Brother tapes is too onerous though, they're usually about a tenner for eight metres which adds up to a lot of labels!
@@liammollatt4147 Just want to know, if you have tried with compatible tapes already? :)
Alvin Tan I’ve been running a generic I found on eBay for AU$4. (The original 12mm brother tapes cost just shy of $40 here) So far so good, have had the label out in the sun and rain for about a week, no signs on delamination or fading! Print is good, no blemishes
David, awesome review. However, I don't know how to create a string of DIFFERENT labels in the printer on the fly and print them with half cut option? Even when I press shift+enter, and it seems to create a different label, it ends up printing as if it was only one label. Sorry to bother you but this is making me crazy!
Hi! Same issue. Seem that using general fuction there is no way to obtain different pages. I solved in this way: press "patch panel" choosing a number of blocks (e.g. 5); write inside each block according to your needs; press "general" and press enter/return. All blocks will be converted in different pages. Probably it is not the proper way but at least is something.
@@GianpaologianpoxMessina thank you very much for thks workaround!!
Go to Menu -> Cut option -> #5. If you bought a real 550 and not a 300 or 500, that will make it do the continuous label with half cut. Remember, though, that only works if you print more than one label at a time. If you print one at a time it won't make a difference, except you will need to hit the "Feed & cut" button then press OK to get it to cut the last one.
@@Sugarkryptonite Thank you! It worked very well!
Anyone else had trouble linking to the software?
My pc can see the brother pte550 but software always complains about drivers even though they have also been installed, automatically by windows and I've downloaded the ones of the site. 🤷♂️
App works great just be nice to connect to pc too.
What the app called the one I downloaded doesn't have the pre set electrical ones
"Mobile Cable Label Tool" is what's installed on my phone.
1:11 dirt away :)
Hi David, have you made any graphics up similar to the ones you get with boards ? ie sockets, lighting, water heater etc ?
Not graphically, I tend to use text labels for final circuits. I try to use the manufacturer labels where possible, but there always seems to be one circuit they haven't accounted for!
hmm wonder why brother dont have a cartridge version with say 4 types of cartridge in them so you can choose rather than swapping each time ?\
Probably because it would be huge.
@@wwsxa39 And just think of all the extra tape handling mech it'd need.
@@millomweb yup, so much more stuff that could broke.
Blackberrry and IPHONE?
LGO: Letter Gothic ?
It's not until 1:12 do you realise how big the thing is!
Cheers 😂 another gadget ordered
How much does the cartridge cost
Worst case price is about £12 - £13 with VAT, although cheaper deals can be found online. The tapes are eight metres long so you get a lot of labels out of them, and they're stocked by the likes of CEF, Edmundsons and Denmans. I carry a 12mm white, 24mm white and 24mm yellow which works for circuit-way labelling, RCD/two-colours labelling and caution labelling (400V, earthing point, etc.)
The little bloody buggers cost 10 quid and four stone.
So Far, So Good
Little Bad Boy?
hmm us$213 on amazon
Worth every cent!
@@dsesuk yes guess you have to factor time and money having to faf about getting labels from wholesaler or from the van or office yeah i get it
Using an iPhone for the stock labels but the wiring colours label doesn't have the word 'caution' above it? Did you create this or is it just different on the iPhone app version?
No amendment from my end, so maybe it's something different across platforms although I can't imagine why.
It’s not the correct size to BS7671
Ha ha I bought mine from Elex Coventry in 2016.
Wish I could buy one for £100!!
Currently £124.95 at TLC ex-VAT. I think the show special price I paid may have been nearer the £120 mark, but I can't remember now if that was with or without VAT.
Got one earlier this week from LEW Electrical wholesales for £120+ vat
Toolstation have them on offer right now (Nov 1st 2019) at £102.20 (£85.17 Exc. VAT).
@@markcynic808 That is DIRT CHEAP. IT TRULY IS A BRILLIANT PRINTER.
Absolutely worth buying.!
Jay r
This is one purchase you will never regret.
It's a fantastic unit. I bought one on the strength of David's review.
hmm will it print a qr code ?
ok question answered
@@dtec30 I think via desktop app? Were you able to do QR codes?
@@alvint4944 i don't know as i dont have the 500 label printer
It'll print text and images in monochrome.
Bought the 300 on a special, toolstation for £50.00, does everything I need it for, but that looks the dogs bollocks, little boy loves the lightning strikes, skulls and biohazard symbols, boy does he like long tapes 😭😭😭, works a treat for a perpetual covid warning on the front on the front door, keeps t.v licensing away.
11:32 not a great deal of point actually printing the label if you're not going to show it to us.
[PRINT]
18:45 wHY CONNECT LAPTOP TO PRINTER WITH usb WHEN YOU HAVE wIfI ?
hAS YOUR LAPTOP GOT A CAPS-LOCK LIGHT ?
pricey printer. buy once cry once. have one on the way. what phone is that you have there.
$250.
Worth every cent too!
What language is he speaking? Got subtitles in regular American?
I wouldn't want to lower the tone just to satisfy the Trumptards.
Can you translate that 🤔
Never Trumps a great President!
🇺🇸MURICA!!!🇺🇸
How can that little thing weigh “A hundreds pounds” as you claim? And if so, how co you handle it so easily? Very confusing, or just more fake news from Londonistan?
A form of currency rather than weight, which is obvious from the context and location, that location not being London incidentally as I'm elsewhere in the UK, a fact also given in the video. You can believe that, and anything else I say, to be bogus if you wish, but it isn't 'fake news' as it really isn't any kind of news unless you live in some trailer park backwater where hearing of a WiFi enabled label printer is mind-bending enough to grab the local headlines and have the natives talking in excited tones over their moonshine stills.
@@dsesuk You can't talk any sense to these Fortress America Fuckwits.
Will Ford What do people in England call English Muffins?
@@catlady8324 Just 'muffins'. Probably. I don't know, I don't eat cakes or desserts. How've you been Karl, haven't heard from you for a while?
David Savery Electrical Services I’ve been well, Sir, and hope you have too. Work is very busy too!