VERY Nice Label Printer

I've wanted a label printer ever since I first saw one many years ago. But the printers and (especially) the labels were always too expensive to be cost-effective, so I made do with other ways of addressing envelopes and packages.

With this printer now available for well under $100, and standard labels only about $0.03 each, I decided to take the plunge.

It was a very good decision. This is a rugged, well-designed piece of hardware -- there is nothing cheap or flimsy about it, and it looks and works as though it were designed by a top industrial design team.

The software for composing and editing labels has abundant useful features, too, but tragically, it is extremely hard to figure out how to use them. The user interface looks and works as though it were designed by Rube Goldberg -- it just isn't very good, especially considering the many capabilities of the printer.

The documentation is even more tragic, and it really isn't very helpful. There's an online help file and a .PDF manual, neither of which seems to have any relationship to the other. I spent a half hour with both of them, trying to figure out how to save a new default label design. I never figured it out, but I did get lucky, and somehow I saved an acceptable default design.

But in spite of its incomprehensible controls and docs, this printer DOES turn out sharp-looking, easily produced labels. When I printed my first two labels for "real" applications, I couldn't believe how quick and easy it was, compared to my previous method of addressing things by hand or on a custom envelope from my laser printer. I expect to get a LOT of use from this printer, making single labels for envelopes and packages. (And I DO hold forth hope for figuring out the whacko label editor.)

The QL-500 does have capabilites for printing labels from a mailing list, but for me, it's much easier and more efficient to do my mass addressing on sheets of labels or (better) on envelopes printed on my laser printer.

It also has the ability to print on different sized labels, continuous tape, etc., with reasonably-priced labels and very easy change of label stock. Some users might want or need that, but I envision myself mainly using standard address labels.

The bottom line for me is that this is a very nice machine that prints nice labels with very little effort, and at a reasonable cost. I'm glad I spent the money.

UPDATE #1: After nine months of using this printer, I'm still very pleased with it. I've figured out the editor and the interface, and making new labels is very straightforward now. I'm on my third roll of standard labels, and I've experimented with the different-sized labels for file folders and CDs.

The CD labels are 2" circles that go in the center of the CD or DVD. They're made of shiny plastic film, and they come with a little gadget that makes it easy to affix them to the disc. There's enough room to put useful identifying information on the disc, and the completed labels look very nice. The only drawback is the cost -- about 23 cents per label.

UPDATE #2: After 16 months, I'm still very happy with it. I've figured out all the software matters having to do with my major applications, and as long as I stick with them, there are absolutely no problems printing labels. The interface with Word is slick and trouble-free: to print a label for a letter I've written, I just select the inside address (plus a blank line before it, for some reason) and click the Brother icon on Word's toolbar.