TheInsider Picksteam writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.The Insider Pick:A great label maker can mean the difference between an unorganized mess or a clean space. The best label maker you can buy is the Brother P-Touch PDT600, thanks to its high-quality design, connectivity options, and versatility.Having an organized home or office can seriously boost productivity and simply make things a lot nicer. But who can remember where everything goes' Thats why wehave label makers: To make it easier for ourselvesand othersto know where things are supposed to go. But having an out-of-date or broken label maker defeats the purpose of having one in the first place. Not every label maker is easy to use, and some are simply better buys than others.While most label makers use a thermal printing mechanism instead of ink cartridges, you will still have to replace the label tape, so its worth looking into the price of that tape and how long a roll will last.Youll also want to think about the layout of the keyboard. When youre printing out lots of labels, you want to be able to type quickly and efficiently.Of course, the actual labels are important, too. Different label makers support different tape and font-sizes, so it's a good idea to pick one that offers a couple different options. Some label makers have rechargeable battery packs, which we think is preferable, while others use replaceable AA or AAA batteries.Read on in the slides below to learn why the Brother P-Touch PDT600 is the best label maker you can buy and why you might prefer the DYMO LabelManager 280, the DYMO LabelManager 160, the Brother P-Touch PT-P700, and the DYMO MobileLabeler.SEE ALSO:The best planners for students and professionalsThe best label maker overallWhy you'll love it:The Brother P-Touch PDT600 is beautifully designed with a full keyboard and color display, plus, itsupports handheld and PC-connected use.Brother may be best known as a printer brand, but the company also makes some excellent label makers. Of all the label makers we researched, the Brother P-Touch PTD600 is the best of the bunch.There are plenty of reasons we think this is a great label maker for your home or office. For starters, it features a nice, big, QWERTY keyboard, which is perfect for those of you who need to pump out labels quickly. Unlike most other label makers, the PDT600 also features a color display. Sure, that may not be all that important for a label maker, but its a nice touch that helps make the label maker easy to use.Perhaps the best thing about this label maker is that its actually a hybrid handheld device that you can also use as a PC-connected label maker. That makes it a little more flexible and helps ensure its as useful as possible. It can be used with either a PC or a Mac. The label maker is also able to print labels with up to seven lines of text, supports tapes in five different widths, with a 24mm (or 1-inch) maximum tape size, and supports up to eight different font sizes. There are a few downsides to the label maker. For starters, its battery-powered with AA batteries that are not included, though thankfully you can use it plugged in to an AC outlet. Its also a little expensive compared to the other options.Pros: Supports wide range of tape sizes and font sizes, color display, nice big keyboard, PC-connected and handheld useCons: Uses AA batteries, expensiveBuy the Brother P-Touch PTD600 on Amazon for $74.95 (originally $78.78)The best rechargeable label makerWhy you'll love it:The DYMO LabelManager 280 has a big QWERTY keyboard and can connect to your PC, but the best thing about it is its rechargeable battery.This is the first of three DYMO label makers on this list, though to be fair, there are only a few companies that actually make label makers. There are also only a few label makers with rechargeable batteries, and the best one is the DYMO LabelManager 280.Of course, the rechargeable battery is only one great aspect of this label maker. The LabelManager 280 also boasts a QWERTY keyboard that'seasy to type on, so you can make labels quickly. It can be used as a standalone handheld device or connected to a computer.There are a few downsides to the DYMO LabelManager 280. The display is not backlit, and as such, it could be a little hard to see depending on the lighting conditions. Its also not as versatile with tape widths as some other label makers in our guide. It only supports a maximum of half-inch tape, so if you're looking for a device that supports thicker tape, you may want to keep looking. Still, despite those downsides the DYMO LabelManager 280 is clearly a very capable machine, and even scored4/5 stars over at PC Mag. Pros: Rechargeable battery, QWERTY keyboard, PC-connectableCons: Only supports up to half-inch tape, non-backlit screen, a little priceyBuy the DYMO LabelManager 280 on Amazon for $67.01The best budget label makerWhy you'll love it:The DYMO LabelManager 160 features a nice big QWERTY keyboard and six font sizes for just $20 on sale.DYMO doesnt just make top-tier, expensive label makers, it also makes some great budget ones. The DYMO LabelManager 160 is the best of the bunch for anyone who doesn't want to spend a lot on a label maker.There are a few reasons we recommend this label maker as our budget option. Like many more expensive label makers, it features a full QWERTY keyboard. Its also got a pretty big display, and while that display isnt backlit, we wouldnt expect it to be in this price range. The device supports six font sizes, eight text styles, and 200 symbols. As you might expect, there are a few downsides here. For starters, the device requires six AAA batteries to work, and those batteries arent included. It also only really functions as a handheld device, so you wont be able to use it in conjunction with your PC or phone. Like some other DYMO devices, it also only supports up to half-inch tape.Still, for this price, you cant do better, and we think its perfect for those who simply want to label some things in their home and dont intend to use the label maker every day.Pros: Very inexpensive, QWERTY keyboardCons: Requires batteries, only supports up to half-inch tapeBuy the DYMO LabelManager 160 on Amazon for $20 (originally $40)See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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