Brother PC-Connectable Label Maker (PT-1230PC)

by Brother

• Easy - Fast - Secure!
• Easy to Use - No software installation required
• Prints on four different label widths, up to 1/2" wide (laminated)
• Prints multiple lines of text and graphics
• Compact, with built-in manual cutter

Product Description

Amazon.com

The Brother P-Touch PT-1230PC PC-Connectable Label Printer features a simple plug-in design to make it easier than ever to print labels without the need to download any software. This compact, PC-compatible label printer has all of the required software built right in, which makes it a breeze to print labels from any PC quickly and easily.

The Brother P-Touch PT-1230PC: Prints text and graphics on up to 1/2-inch-wide tape. Features easy one-cable installation. Includes built-in P-touch Editor Lite software Supports all True Type/Scalable fonts available on any PC.

With software built into the printer, there's no software to install on your computer. View larger.

Print scannable barcodes.

Create Professional-looking Labels Quickly
It's never been easier to print high-quality labels and barcodes than it is with the Brother PT-1230PC. The P-touch Editor Lite software is built directly into the printer, so there's no software to install on your computer. Print graphics and text exactly how it appears on your monitor, and the PT-1230PC supports all True Type/Scalable fonts available on your PC.

The printer is compatible with four different label widths up to 1/2-inch wide, and you can use TZ laminated tape for both indoor and outdoor use. The built-in manual cutter makes it easy to get perfect cuts each and every time.

Simple Installation
Installing the Brother PT-1230PC label printer is as simple as connecting the included USB cable to any Windows-based computer. The printer also requires 6 AAA batteries or the AD-24 adapter (not included).

Easy Label Printing On-the-Go
Because of the PT-1230PC's compact stature and built-in software, it makes it easier than ever to print while on-the-go from anywhere there's access to a Windows-based computer. Keep sensitive prints secure while traveling since no software is left behind on the computer.

Upgradeable Software for Added Functionality
For added features and functionality, you can download Brother's full version P-touch Editor software and enjoy seamless integration with your PT-1230PC label printer. This added functionality allows for easy barcoding and database printing.

The Brother PT-1230PC label printer is compatible with Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Vista. It measures 2.1 x 6.2 x 4.4 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 0.90 pounds (without batteries). It's backed by a 1-year limited warranty and replacement service.

What's in the Box
Brother PT-1230PC label printer, 1/2 inch (12mm) x 16 foot (5m) black on white laminated TZ starter tape, user's manual, USB cable.

Product Description

Great for labeling file folders, storage containers, and much more, the PT-1230PC is an easy-to-use PC-connectable label maker. It’s intuitive, “pop-up” label making program, requires no software installation. Conveniently design durable, laminated labels up to ½” wide using your PC keyboard and monitor. Prints exactly what you see on your screen! Capable of printing multiple lines of text, graphics, and all True Type resident fonts. Its compact footprint and built-in manual cutter supports maximum efficiency. Supports PC USB Connectivity. Includes 1/2” (5m) black on white “TZ” laminated tape, and USB cable. Uses 6 "AAA" batteries or AD-24 adapter (not included).

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

128 of 130 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great label maker - if you know how to get the correct software September 12, 2009

By BookMan VINE™ VOICE

I needed an inexpensive label maker and found this at Staples ($19.95 on sale). At first I was a bit irked by the apparent problems with the software (which automatically installs when you plug the label maker into a USB port on your computer) and this is where, I suspect, that others have had some problems. Brother did something very stupid with the software that is pre-installed on this device - they didn't bother to add an "update" feature. As a result, many people may not be aware that Brother has updated the driver, the firmware, and both (yes, there are TWO) label editors that work with the PT-1230PC. Unfortunately, you have to go to Brother's web site to find this out on your own.

Also, the default settings cause the tape to waste space while printing labels - it is necessary to hunt around a bit in order to determine how/where to adjust the settings but, again, the label maker can be set so that very little tape is wasted (especially if the same label needs to be printed many times).

Once that the updates are installed (make sure that you pay attention to the instructions on Brother's site) and settings are adusted, this turns into a great little label maker. Had it been less trouble to search around for software updates, I would have given this label maker five stars.

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Tips on minimizing waste of tape on PT-1230PC March 25, 2011

By Zbigniew Trzepizur

BACKGROUND:

First of all, let me explain why the P-Touch printers do waste the tape in the first place. It doesn't look like a manufacturer's conspiracy to force us into buying even more (already priced ridiculously to begin with) tape but more like a design consequence to me. It's quite easy to figure out once you take a peek at the mechanism with the cassette cover open. The printing thermal head is about an inch before the cutter blade so the printer has to advance the tape once it's done for you to be able to cut it. You'd cut halfway through the label otherwise. And once it has done that, it seems impossible to rewind the tape back because of the cassette construction and the fact the tape consists of several layers. I'm not saying they couldn't design this better, just saying it's not there just to annoy us and make the tape run out sooner.

TIPS on more efficient tape usage:

First of all, if you're planning to repeatedly use the device on your own computer(s), install the full version of the P-Touch Editor software and only resort to the convenient "built-in" Lite version for the casual jobs on other people's PCs. Here's why: the built-in, simplified version seems to be tuned for occasional usage on the go, when you don't have scissors at hand. Most probably in order for the label not to look weird when not trimmed with scissors, the software seems to add the ADDITIONAL 1-inch-long empty fragment of tape AFTER the printed content. This way, when not using scissors, you end up with a label with about 2.5 cm margins both before and after the text.

That's why you should use the full version of P-touch editor on a daily basis. First, download the driver and the software from there: [...].... You'll need your device's serial number which is printed on the label located ON THE BOTTOM OF THE TAPE/BATTERY compartment (under the tape). Install the driver first and then proceed with the actual software. Just follow the instructions displayed to set the switch on the back properly and turn the printer on only after prompted to. Full version of the P-touch Editor doesn't leave the trailing empty space after the printed label by default, only the mandatory leader before the new one (okay, it depends how you look at it ;-)). Just leave the "Auto length" and "2 mm margin" on the "Paper" tab and "Automatic length" in the text field properties. This way you save at least an inch per label comparing to the "Lite" software. Just use the "Cut Mark" option so there will be a mark printed where you should trim the leading end of the label.

Now, IF YOU ARE PRINTING MORE THAN ONE LABEL AT A TIME, DON'T DO IT ONE BY ONE. Notice the "Sheet 1" tab below the editor area, akin to the multiple tabs in an Excel sheet. After you're done with entering of the first label, DON'T PRINT IT YET but right click on the "Sheet 1" caption and choose either "Add New Sheet" or "Duplicate and Add Sheet" instead. I prefer the latter as it saves me from adding the new text field manually again and choosing its properties like the automatic length. Now, rinse, wash and repeat until you're done with your batch of labels - one per a "sheet". Now choose "Print" and select "All sheets" under "Sheets to be printed". Enjoy your labels being printed in a one go, divided just by a cut marks and use your trusty scissors to divide them (which you'd have to use to cut the first label's leader anyway).

Hope someone finds this helpful

Cheers!

Zbig Read more ›

78 of 85 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Remember scissors. Forget formatting. January 26, 2009

By Sigint

I bought the Brother PT-1230PC Label Maker primarily to create labels for hanging folder tabs and interior folder tabs. For hanging folders that take 5 tabs across, this means about a 2.2-inch label. For a simple task, I ran into several issues:

1. I like my label text centered. The P-Touch Editor Lite software installed on the device has a button with a drop-down menu to select text alignment: Left, Center, Right, etc. Unfortunately, it has no effect on the text you enter. Select Center and type, or type, select, and choose Center - it doesn't matter, the text remains left-justified. I searched Brother's support website thinking I may have missed something because they implemented alignment in some non-intuitive way, but there was no information about this topic.

2. As the label needs to be 2.2 inches long, I'd like to type the text and have the software adjust the size to fit a fixed length of 2.2 inches. The Editor Lite allows you to fix the label length, but it doesn't adjust the text size to fit: it simply lets the text overrun the boundary of the label. If you don't fix the label length, it will adjust the length of the label to the text - but not vice versa.

3. I knew going in this model has a manual cutter, so I was prepared to push a button on the unit to cut the label after printing. However, every label starts with 1 inch of blank tape. If you create a 2.2-inch label on screen, when you print it you will get a 3.2-inch label, with your text starting after that blank first inch. So in addition to using the built-in manual cutter to cut the tape and remove it from the printer after it prints, you have to use scissors or a knife to remove the leading blank 1 inch so your label is the length you intended....

This unit might be OK for you if you don't care about the length of your labels, or if your label text is skewed to one side of the label, or if you want to both push a cutter button AND wield a pair of scissors after every label. Otherwise, you might consider the PT-2430PC, which has an automatic cutter than not only cuts the label after printing, but apparently also cuts that annoying leading first inch of blank tape. I assume the built-in Editor Lite has the same broken text alignment; hopefully the full-featured Editor software you can download from Brother functions correctly in that respect. Read more ›

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Good printer, if you have realistic expectations February 26, 2010

By Sean Straw

Several years ago, I purchased one of the (then) more deluxe models of PT printers - a PT-2610 - specifically because it had the USB printing option. I still have it and use it regularly, and from the outset have not used the keyboard interface. A while back, I saw that there were USB-only devices, which cut the cost and space requirements. Recently, I had an opportunity to get another, so I got TWO of these PT-1230PC units - I don't need the keyboard, display or auto-cut features on the bigger unit, and having the extra printers means I can have one in the home office, another out in the shop, and another in my toolkit to take with me on jobs.

Now, having owned a laminate label printer for several years, I have an understanding of what to expect - the inch-long leaders on individual label printouts for instance. Yes, if you print one label at a pop - especially if they're short ones, you're going to waste a lot of label. If you lay out multiple labels and print them in one stream and then snip them up, you'll cut WAY down on waste. The same applies for the bigger "full featured" label printers. Granted, the PT-2610 wastes about half as much on leader as the PT-1230PC, and it's irksome. Perhaps someday, Brother will set things up so that they feed the label out enough to cut it, then REWIND the label slightly to a fresh printing position. I wouldn't hold my breath - but I won't be writing nasty letters (or reviews) over it either. I do clip the excess leaders and put them into a little Altoids tin - you can write on them with Sharpie permanent markers and still erase them later (I use the white Staedtler "mars" erasers), so they're good for providing a marking surface where needed.... This is worth noting for the regular laminate labels as well: you can make labels on which you can later note service dates or odometer readings, etc.

It was certainly a bit shortsighted of Brother to stick a serial number label on the package only (since the serial is required in order to download software - which only works with their printers anyway), and it's not a label you can successfully remove and stick to the device. The solution is to just USE the label printer and print one, or use a magic marker and write it. Inside the door is an excellent place to put it, where it won't be subject to being scuffed away.

Need to download a software update and didn't record your serial? Here's one you can use: K8G349269. Problem solved.

The onboard Lite software is fine for simplistic label making on the go (if you were to say bring the label printer with you and use someone elses' machine to print labels), but if you're using the printer on your own machine, I'd advise that you just download the full PTouch Editor software (v5.0.102 as of this writing). It is FAR more feature-rich. You'll have to download the Brother printer driver (and while you're at it, may as well get the updated Lite software for it too). The full version can make multiple types of barcodes, and has more capable layout features. I thought it great that they had the software onboard, but it's unfortunate that the device doesn't simply have an integrated 1GB storage that you could store the full version to (or copy the print driver and installer to), as well as label templates, etc. However, a regular USB key works fine for that.

The device uses the common USB connector as found on most consumer digital cameras and many cellphones. This is a plus, because I can leave cables hanging off the BACK USB ports on some workstations, and not have to fumble with plugging them in.

I'm quite happy with the devices. I use them to add labels to network cabling (using special flat surface clip-on tags, rather than wrapping the labels), computer and network gear (hostname, KVM channels, etc), personal electronics (with contact info) including the memory cards, digital tapes. Capacity and certification information for spare hard drives, cabling information for A/V gear. The labels hold up well even in the harsh environment of an automotive engine bay. Handy-dandy for labelling relays to assist in future roadside diagnostics. Properly label the circuits in your breaker box - no more illegible scrawlings. Label important outlets or keystone plates (sometimes on the inside). All the drawers of my tool chests are labelled to identify what type of tool is in there (metric wrenches, SAE wrenches, screwdrivers, sockets, tuneup, pneumatic, etc), making it easier both for myself, but also when I need to ask someone to get a tool for me. Purchase dates (and reference numbers - sometimes PO#s or whatever) to help identify key equipment.

INSIDE battery or memory card covers is generally a good place to put labels if you want them to last virtually forever (relative to being scuffed and having the edges worn).

No, I don't label everything under the sun (I'm not the type to use them to make file folder labels for instance), but having a tool that does the job well when you need it to is good, and this printer honestly fits the bill.

All in all, it's a good laminate label printer device - just be realistic and don't expect the world of it. The people griping should consider what a rip-off inkjet and colour laser printers are when it comes to consumables. Read more ›