The label maker arrived the next day. It seems to work pretty well. Haven't tested it but for a few words. I had another brother maker that died after 15 yrs. Love that this runs on batteries not a plug.
My family will disagree with me but this is the best thing in my kitchen! I use it for spices, cabinets, meal planning, etc.
Spices - I try to be a spice snob. I prefer to order my spices from Penzeys, savory spices, or independent places. If you order through Penzeys, a jar is about $6.00. A bag that is triple the amount is the same price but the bags are inconvenient and ugly. I bought a bunch of jars from Penzeys and from Hobby Lobby and pour all my spices in the jars and use my label maker. The labels stay on forever! All my spices are uniform when I look in the cabinet and it is easy to spot whatever I am needing
CAbinets - My teen daughter and Husband kept using the excuse they didn't put dishes up or wouldn't cook because they couldn't find everything or didn't know where everything went. I solved this problem by labeling the inside of every cabinet or drawer ( Baking items, bowls, silverware, food prep items, oven items, etc. ) Now when they ask where something is I yell where it is supposed to be (often times it isn't) and they know not to ask anymore. If it isn't where it goes then it isn't where it is supposed to be so find it !
Meal Prep - Every week I prepare approximately three meals in individual containers to grab for a quick lunch or breakfast. At the end of the week, I would notice several lunches still there. I asked my husband why he wasn't taking his lunches and he would say he didn't know what was in there or he didn't know if it was for something I may be cooking in the future (Excuses) . Now, when preparing the containers I print out exactly what is in each container so they can grab and go. Yes the tape is expensive but in reality it lasts at least two months and $20 for tape every two months is way cheaper than eating out every meal.
Easy to operate and suits my needs perfectly. I was skeptical of the label backing remover, but it worked great. For those looking to cut down on the amount of "wasted" tape, consider printing out multiple labels on one line, separated by 3-4 spaces (see example photo).
Dear Folks,
Well, I've only been using this thing for less than a month now.
Actually, if you must know, I'm still on the starter tape and the first set of batteries.
But I already love this little machine, folks.
Simple to use.
The tape?
The quality of the label tape?
Far exceeded my expectations.
Pay no attention to those reviewers who gripe about the cost of the tape.
Wasted tape at the ends of the newly-printed label?
Nah, they look great with the pre-set end margins.
If you have to trim some off each end to get it to fit into a tight place, no big deal.
Hard to peel off the backing?
I have good enough luck with my pen-knife, just starting at one corner.
It works better for me than that built-in separator thinggy on the unit, at least until I can figure that thing out.
Now if some of you kind folks have figured out how to use that built-in thing and can translate the manufacturer's instructions into some words that the rest of us can easily understand, please add comments to this post in that regard.
Battery-low indicator?
Not so far for me.
I kept thinking about that.
I had read in a user-review that somebody got an electronics repairman to look at his PT-70 and apparently the service-man cleaned up the ends of the batteries and the internal machine contacts with the eraser that's on the end of a wooden pencil.
I kept thinking about that.
When I install batteries, if I can get to the sides of them, I'll rotate them and squeeze them in and rotate them some more to try to get the best contact possible.
To try to "clean off" any corrosion or dust or dirt or lacquer or whatever.
I do that when I put rechargeable batteries into their chargers too.
I was trained in electronics in The Military in the 1960s.
To "clean up" moving parts, just use them.
I'm not going to say that I've worn out a couple of pen-knives over the years scraping electrical contacts down to bare metal, but you probably know what I'm driving at.
I like this little Brother PT-70.
Oh, and if you've never seen one in person, you'll be glad to know that it's a nice size machine.
I was surprised and pleased at how big it is and how easy-to-use it is in terms of pushing the buttons and all that.
I have big fingers.
Without giving it too much thought, I'd call this machine coat-pocket-size.
Charles Smith
Western Maryland
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Update - 22 April 2012
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I bought this unit here at Amazon in October of 2011.
Six months ago.
It's just great.
It's fun to use.
Mine (the PT-70) has performed flawlessly for these six months.
Flawlessly in every respect.
Yes, including battery life.
I learned how to use that built-in tape separator thing on the unit and it actually works quite well.
It's quick and easy to use.
I now have three colors of label tape and you can switch cartridges so easily you won't believe it.
It's so quick and simple to pull one out and just stick another one in there.
No threading the tape through rollers or anything like that.
No loss of tape whatsoever, no loose ends of tape dangling out of cartridges.
Just a very neat and clean system.
Excellent design.
I really cannot say enough good about this little machine.
C L Smith
Maryland
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Update - 01 January 2013
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Bought this unit on 23 October 2011.
Wonderful little machine.
Handy as heck.
Quick and simple to operate.
Battery life on my little PT-70 is excellent.
C L Smith
Maryland
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UPDATE 18 AUG 2013 -
=========================
I just now pretty carefully re-read all that I've typed to you about this unit.
No mistakes or misinformation that I can see.
Bought 23 Oct 2011.
Today is 18 Aug 2013.
2 months short of 2 yrs of service.
Bottom line -
I love it.
I truly & sincerely do love this little machine.
The more I use it, the more I like it.
Enough said?
Charles Smith
Western Maryland
I needed an affordable, 2-line printer for light home office use, and the Brother P-Touch PT70BM seems to be exactly what I needed. I haven’t tried the more advanced features, but I’m very pleased with its basic labeling performance. See the attaced picture for sample results. I’ll update this review once I try the more advanced features.
PS: Thanks to the Brother rep who answered my question about 2-line printing with the smaller tape size (it does)!
Feature Product
- LIGHTWEIGHT PERSONAL HANDHELD LABELER: The Brother P-touch PT-70BM is a portable label maker that weighs only 8 ounces and is easy to use.
- 54 FONT VARIATIONS: This handheld labeler can print labels with one font, in six sizes, and nine type styles for a personalized look.
- TWO-LINE PRINTING: The PT70BM offers two-line printing, allowing you to customize labels with multiple framing options and auto formats.
- EASY-TO-VIEW DISPLAY: There's an 8-character LCD display and an easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard that features raised keys for accurate input.
- FOR USE WITH BROTHER GENUINE TAPES: Use Brother Genuine P-touch M-tapes in 9mm (approximately 3/8") and 12mm (approximately 1/2") for best performance.
Description
With a focus on user simplicity, yet designed to withstand daily use, the Brother P-touch PT70BM handheld portable label printer is engineered with excellence in mind. The PT-70BM is a handheld, feature-packed personal labeler that is powered by 4 AAA batteries (batteries not included). This feature allows you to print labels in up to 2 lines, with 1 font, in 6 sizes, and in 9 styles. The QWERTY keyboard permits you to easily enter text, numbers, and even 71 different symbols to create elegant labels printed on 3/8” and 1/2” size tape. For use with Brother Genuine P-touch M-tapes: MK-631, MK-233, MK-232, ME-793, ME-31, ME-21, M-931, M-921, M-831, M-821, M-731, M-721, M-531, M-521, M-2312PK, M231.
The PT-70BM handheld label printer also features a unique time and date function in 8 formats, which is an exceptional function for documenting perishable foods, important documents, or other time-sensitive data. With the PT-70BM, you can print non-laminated labels that are 9mm and 12mm wide (Brother Genuine P-touch M-Tapes). You can choose label length from five formats to create labels for various applications and 6 framing styles, allowing you to customize labels as needed for style. Includes 1 Black on White M-Starter Tape 13.1ft (4m).
Typing labels is made easy thanks to an 8-character LCD display, and the easy-to-use keyboard features raised keys for more accurate input. This unit is 100% portable since it uses AAA batteries (batteries not included).
This was easy to use right out of the box. Started making labels in about 5 minutes. Batteries still good after making about 30 labels. Haven't tried any different margins or spacing or fonts, just started using it like it came. Works better than I thought considering some negative reviews. The labels stick even on Starboard panels and it looks great.
Bought this to replace my old p-touch. This p-touch feel a lot lighter and cheaper, but as long as it does the job that's ok. I don't understand why it asks up to input the date and time. I don't why I would even need that. This product version uses 4 AAA batteries instead of the old 6 AA batteries, which is a plus. Otherwise, it does the job and that's what I care about most.
Okay so it's a basic label printer with the standard set of features. It doesn't eat the batteries up. The print is clear. No jamming. A handful of sizes and font options. The display are large enough. It takes M-Tape which is cheap.
The only things I did not like: The key layout. Switching back and forth between numbers and letters can be annoying. Also the menu options are a pain to navigate.
My labeler died so I had to replace it with one that took the same refills. This filled the bill. I like that it does a stacked-line label, and numbers are a little easier to do. But symbols and sizes are harder to access, and not as intuitive as older models.
Exactly what I needed to get everything neat and organized. No more sharpies! Labels print smoothly and adhere well to different surfaces.
Just be sure to power it off when not using it, or else the batteries will die quickly. It's also small and portable, so I've labeled a range of things like the circuit breaker, spice bottles, small travel bottles, etc.
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