A decent label maker/printer ... that labels cables.

B0bbyEwing

I picked up a Nelko P21. Cheap thing off Amazon. 

It's sort of ok. It's fine for labelling things like plastic tubs for your pasta or whatever & for labelling plugs. I do wonder how long the labels will stay stuck on. Time will tell.

But for labelling cables, as in power cables, network cables, USB cables ........ absolute waste of time. I tried to wrap a label around one cable & it just came off instantly. I even wiped the cable down with isopropryl alcohol & then gave another wipe with a dry microfibre just in case it was greasy or whatever - still nope.

Did a little digging & found other people requesting the same but without spending the earth ... and then getting people recommending label makers that are like £100+.

I'm not a professional, this isn't going to be in daily use so I don't want to be spending £100+. I don't know what I need to spend to get a label maker to do what I want which is why I'm not mentioning a budget as such. No good me saying £20 if I need to spend £30 to get this to happen because I'd just spend £30. Somewhere along the line though the price comes too much. Just not sure where that is yet.

I also don't know if it's the label maker I have or the types of labels as I imagine you get different sorts. That said, I don't even know if the one I have takes different sorts or not.

I'm also talking about going wrap around, not flag style. 

Hopefully some of you have reasonably priced ones which you can recommend.

YBR

In my previous industry we used either white tags attached with cable ties, or fiddly rubber sleeves which slide onto the cable letter by letter (which is easier if you're making up the plug than if it has to be passed over the plug).

If you don't want it flapping like a flag then you might put a label on this and tie it to the cable: https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/cable-markers/0492320

Or This sort of thing doesn't need the tie: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Identification-Multicolored-Labels-Marking-Management/dp/B08NWXQCV5/ref=sr_1_22?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.k9ZKEEmUYtib6J22YFpNEkYIuPmdEKY8V2NIxIzoFwP4UzjaWgm7tQ40JQ_Ig_Ns4YCi7avGdKhknCyU4i6531_TnUTNi3BcJoDAlJLzeKQO1xU63XJ0fYM6TXP5MvWs9nsO2SQM_YNbZYfdwFkQ5puFYgBPYWvePubib-dwSbtUmYGfYFivCzB1-uqc6hHws-hR8QrW4MVC1PEdAfP2BBhJKyV27KQbQlUuYs3P-OD3E0KkpvPPUPQlJNMJnmciJpLeONAGkFEaonbGQCgcKpbKt-Mr6NgzYdaspA77GsE.6LrJ027xXO5bc6aiZJFEjKWpA_Lzt1gkJvTixahePSo&dib_tag=se&keywords=cable+tie+markers&qid=1766645163&sr=8-22

B0bbyEwing

That ks for the reply. 

What I had in mind was more something that wraps around the cable. Like something that's decent adhesive & doesn't peel off the moment you put it on.



Similar to that. 

Newcad

Why not just use Sellotape wrapped over the labels you already have to hold them in place?

A roll of tape is much cheaper than a new printer.

Frozen_up_north

Many years ago you could get “write on” cable markers that wrapped around the cable, there was a white area to write on, and a clear area to cover the written on part. The supplied pen had UV stable ink which didn’t fade in sunlight.

Label printer tapes soon fade, or at least my black print on white ones tend to.

Anyone have a source for those old fashioned cable marker kits, maybe they aren’t made anymore?

matelodave

Brady cable markers and printers or sheets of self laminating labels can be used that fit in a laser printer - like this - https://www.amazon.co.uk/MR-LABEL-Self-Laminating-Printer-Marking-Identification/dp/B078XR72Y7?th=1

Alternatively you can get purpose made label printers - try Brady - https://www.bradyid.com/label-printers/portable which use reels. Brady also do laser printable sheets. We used them by the hundred when I was at work. In  the end it depends how much you want to spend and how many labels you need to produce.

Brother also make self laminating labels and printers. I've used the ordinary Brother TZ labels and they've stuck and weathered well but I've not tried self laminating labels.

B0bbyEwing

It was Brady that was put forward on the post I'm talking about when the person didn't want to spend the earth. 
I took a look at them, since it was a suggestion from someone & the OPs requirement was to not be spending a fortune. 

I thought this suggesters fortune and my fortune are two completely different figures. 

Newcad said:

Why not just use Sellotape wrapped over the labels you already have to hold them in place?

A roll of tape is much cheaper than a new printer.

You know when something sounds so obvious when someone suggests it yet it escaped you completely? 

Yeah that. 

I'd give you a double thanks if I could. 

SiliconChip

Sounds like the sellotape solution is going to work for you. Many years ago (almost 50, gulp!) I had a university holiday job working with electricians in a factory, and in order to label cables we used small plastic clips, each one marked with a single letter or number, to fit onto the cable to indentify it, somewhat similar to the rubber sleeves that YBR described but easier to use as they were put on with the cable in situ. RS still sell a similar product but I doubt if it would be cost effective for domestic use.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/cable-markers/2436410

Newcad

B0bbyEwing said:

Newcad said:

Why not just use Sellotape wrapped over the labels you already have to hold them in place?

A roll of tape is much cheaper than a new printer.

You know when something sounds so obvious when someone suggests it yet it escaped you completely? 

Yeah that. 

I used to stick hand written labels on USB sticks with clear sticky tape, until I bought sheets of small adhesive labels to print on using a normal inkjet printer - however thosebsoon fell off again so out came the tape again, problem solved with a bif of faff