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Use an inexpensive label maker to label cables and tags. There are many to choose from but the one series that has delivered the best value for me is the Brother models that use M Tape cartridges.
You can apply these labels to almost any clean surface. I can print neatly by hand but printing with a label maker makes labels that are easier to read and more consistent in appearance. Can you really buy a good label maker for under $25?
BROTHER M TAPE, NON LAMINATED LABELS
Brother sells a number of different label makers, the one(s) on review here use the lower priced M Tape cartridges. These labels are a single thickness of plastic and are printed using a thermal process.
The more expensive label material from Brother which is meant for their higher priced label makers uses a clear piece of tape over the label to create a shinier surface, this is referred to as a "laminated label material". The more expensive label material does not work in the budget label maker.
The M Tape refill cartridges are lower in price and easier to work with when trimming them to small sizes for labeling things like patchbay holes.
The one caution about any thermally printed label: Avoid prolonged direct sunlight. Exposing these thermal labels to bright sunlight and heat can make the text fade out. Fortunately stages and studios are typically dark and cool places so your labels should be fine. I have labels in place that have been doing their job for over 10 years and they're still quite readable.
VINTAGE LABEL MAKERS ARE STILL GOOD
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I have several of these green Brother Home and Hobby label makers, I began using them on commercial installations in the mid 90's, I bought a label maker for every installer on my crew so we could clean up and make consistent, easy to read labels.
This green plastic model is no longer made but you might find one at a yard sale, Goodwill or some other thrift store. This older style uses six-AA batteries. These vintage label makers usually die as a result of batteries leaking in them. If you find one for sale at a bargain price, snap the back off and check the battery compartment for signs of damage from leakage. If you remove the batteries when they're not in use these older units last a long time (mine are all 25+ years old and still working great).
LIKES
Simple, easy to use
6x AA batteries offer long battery life
Uses lower cost Brother M Tape cartridges
DISLIKES
Labels limited to only 50 characters
No longer available new
MODERN BROTHER HOME AND HOBBY LABEL MAKER
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I recently received one of these new style Brother label makers as a birthday gift from my GF (and favorite human) who knows how much I love labels.
The latest iteration of these compact label makers uses four-AAA batteries instead of six-AA as used in the older green unit. This means less current and less printed labels per load of batteries but less batteries per load. The unit with 4x-AAA is noticeably lighter in weight than the one that uses 6x-AA.
LIKES
New Label Maker purchase price, still under $25 today (includes one tape cartridge)
Still easy to use
Uses lower cost M Tape cartridges
Light weight for travel
DISLIKES
Uses only four AAA batteries requiring much more frequent battery changes
Date and time function depletes batteries even when not in use
Batteries not included with new label maker
Labels limited to 80 characters
DIFFERENT COLOR LABELS
While there are a few different text-color/label-color combinations available I primarily stock the black-print on white-label refill cartridges, that is what I use for 99.9% of my labels.
The label cartridges are easy to swap so I keep a limited selection of alternate label font-color/tape-color cartridges in my supply drawer for those rare special occasions I need a different colored label. Black font printed on yellow label tape is easy to read and catches your eye from a distance.
TRIMMING LABELS TO FIT
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The small font on the Brother Home and Hobby label maker can fit two lines of very crisp and readable text into just six-millimeters of total height. With a very sharp set of scissors you can trim the label down to just the text portion. Using tweezers to assist with placing these tiny text labels means you can label patchbay inputs and outputs with readable and meaningful labels.
Again, using the smallest font, you can produce labels that wrap neatly around typical microphone and guitar cables. These can be used to identify owner, brand, cable length or where they're supposed to be connected.
Do you have a tube microphone that uses a special multipin cable? Put a label on that cable to help make it stand out and keep it from being lost.
Label inputs and outputs of gadgets with large easy to read labels.
Label pedalboards and switchers to make buttons easier to see in dim stage lighting.
LABEL YOUR GEAR
If you play in a band putting labels on YOUR gear is imperative. If you play at events where there are multiple bands moving their equipment through the same space, having your personal gear labeled can eliminate any possibility of someone trying to take ownership of something that belongs to you.
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I have several guitar amps that share the six "active" shelves in my control room. A simple label on each shelf keeps it straight in my pedal switching system which amp will be selected.
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I combined colored tape with Brother labels (trimmed to minimum size) to help visually organize the myriad of connection options in my patchbay.
LABEL USB STICK DRIVES
I bet you have a few unlabeled USB memory sticks laying around, use the smallest font to make a label and then trim it down to minimum size, attach that to your memory stick so you can keep track of it. More about this in another upcoming "Cheap Studio Solutions" article.
KEEP YOUR LABEL MAKER IN AN EASY TO GRAB LOCATION
Don't tuck your label maker away in a drawer somewhere. I keep three label makers around my studio area, one is over by my amps and pedal boards, one is in the kitchen where I do a lot of things like changing strings and labeling things. The third label maker is in a special drawer in my studio toolbox, this drawer is reserved for all things label maker like refill tape cartridges and the spare label maker. Sometimes batteries go dead or tapes run out at inconvenient times, that's where having the third label maker comes in handy.
You don't need three label makers, just one is fine and put it somewhere it is easy to grab and use at a moments notice. Having a dedicated label maker for your studio area means you'll always be able to label new gear with the date purchased and who you got it from.
EPILOGUE
Get one of these label makers and begin experimenting with labels. Combine your labels with other label mediums like colored tape or cardboard string tags to create labels that are easy to read and meaningful to you.
Good labeling might keep you from accidentally plugging the wrong speaker into the wrong hole but you gotta have one and play before you can appreciate how nice good labeling is. I have had clients comment "nice labeling on the equipment".
Good labeling is a good idea and the label maker does not need to be expensive to deliver useful and efficient custom labels.
Thanks for reading High on Technology, Good Music and Good Labeling To You!
©April 2022 by Mark King, It's not ok to copy or quote without written permission.
MORE LABELS AROUND THE H.O.T. STUDIO CONTROL ROOM |
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