The Top 5 Label Makers Under $50: Professional Labels for Little Cash

If you run a home business, a small business, or you just love to be super organized, the best device for this is nothing more than a label maker. It's not really my cup of tea, but my wife is completely opposite me. She labels everything. The problem is that her handwriting is not completely foreign to me. Ok, so she writes in Russian, that may be the first problem, but even her English could use some work. Handwriting is so unprofessional anyway, and whatever you may be writing on, could probably do without it. Or if you are writing on tape, the tape is causing major damage because it's not meant to be a long-term solution. Label-makers don't have to be anything fancy and if you do have serious labeling needs, I would recommend printing from a PC with a dedicated Datamax printer. For a professional look without emptying your pocketbook, you can have in your possession any number of great label makers for under $50.00. Let's take a look at the top 5.

Esselte Dymo LetraTag Plus
In my opinion, and I am not alone, the LetraTag Plus is the best label maker to be had for the budget-minded shopper. This handheld electronic unit features an LCD screen to preview what you want to print before you print it. Labels can be printed with up to two lines in multiple fonts and styles such as bold, underlined, or various sizes. Also the direct thermal printing means you never have to buy ink or ribbons. The unit comes with both paper and plastic labels with an option to purchase fabric or metal labels at an additional cost. At the time of this writing, the unit can be bought as www.circuitcity .com for $25.99.

Esselte Dymo 17899: Execulabel LP 250
Moving one step up in price range, we have the LP 250. The unit uses ¼" to ½" wide D1 tape. This label maker is also handheld, features an ABC style keyboard and a 15 character display. It can be had at www.amazon.com for $39.25. For the price, I would stick to the LetraTag Plus.

Brother P-Touch PT-1000
This Brother label maker has a great design and looks fantastic with its blue tinted design. This unit uses ½" wide labels and can print in two lines. The LCD screen is only 8 characters, but sufficient for small jobs. Although not as feature-rich as the Dymo label makers, it is adequate for most needs. This can be found at www.PtouchDirect.com for $46.37.

Brother P-Touch PT-80
The PT-80 is more for personal use. It features only a single font, but delivers 9 styles and 6 sizes. The two-handed design is sleek and pleasant. This can be found at Circuit City for $29.95 and even less if you shop around.

Casio KL60SR EZ-Label Label-It Label Printer
Despite the awkward and lengthy name, this little label maker works like a champ. It is very simple to use and works with labels up to a ½" wide. The QWERTY keyboard is more suited if you are used to typing. The Casio label maker can be found at www.amazon.com for only $22.64.

Even if you are looking for a label maker for your business, you don't have to spend a lot of cash. Just a simple unit for under $50.00 will give you professional looking labels. For home use, I would highly recommend one of these as well.