In search of the perfect labeler

It's been a good year of getting organized here on the blog. Finding the right tools has been a challenge, but we've made progress!

Perfect (almost) phone, Check.
Perfect (almost) food storage, Check.
Perfect (almost) shelving, Check.
Perfect (almost) carpet cleaner, Check.

Now I'm on the hunt to find The Perfect Labeler. It's the staple of "real organizers" so I best have one!

I've had a blast using the decades old hand held "Dymno labeler" that used to be my grandparents.

It's a loving reminder of my childhood -- turning the alphabet dial and squeezing the handle to punch my words, hoping for no misspellings and that my hands don't go numb from all the squeezing.

It was a blast labeling all the new shelves! Until morning.

That's when I opened the closet door to find all my labels had "jumped off." I found curled up labels all over the house -- several had jumped a few feet away from their original location. Maybe it was because the tape cartridges were probably old.

So I guess I need to move into this century of labelers. Here are the desired attributes for my new electronic labeler:


(1) Sticks to stuff.

(2) Preview entire label before printing.

(3) Uses batteries (but sparingly, not an energy hog like some) and has an adapter.

(4) Accepts 3/4" to 2" widths of labels for both indoor and outdoor use.

(5) Can be hooked up to a computer (but doesn't require computer hookup to operate so I can take it anywhere)

(6) Allows downloads of images to print on the label so I can label my pre-literate daughter's stuff with icons rather than words.

(7) Uses inexpensive label cartridges. (Yeah, right. Like that'll happen!)

(8) QWERTY rather than ABC keyboard.

I think this Brother P-Touch 18R rechargeable system might be a contender!

But I'm definitely not getting rid of my old Dymo!!

Update:  I just learned about the "P-touch label advisor" that you can use to select your criteria to determine which label maker is right for you.