Customer Reviews

Brother PT-1180 Labeling System

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'm so disappointed with the PT-xxxx line of labelers. The problem is that they FORCE the lead out on the tape to be 1". So, by default, you're wasting 1" of tape on the front and back. Not only is it a waste of tape, but I use this primarily for printing CD labels--something which does not have 1" on either side to spare. The PT-1200 (and other models too) have a "margin" feature, which allows you to reduce the 1" margin to something much smaller--HOWEVER, the only thing it does with this feature is to print on the tape a few dotted lines to MANUALLY cut on. So, not only are you STILL wasting tape in the lead-out, but now you have to manually cut on the dotted line with scissors (the end of the label is stopped properly at the margin width you set, but is still wasted on the front). This is the second model from Brother that I will return and I won't buy another Brother labeler in the 1000 series (yes, other models have the same "feature"). The PT-85 that I used to have worked fine, so apparently they made it worse with new features in the 1000+ series.

We bought one of these labelers. The first surprise came as we started to use it. As has been noted at length by another reviewer on this page, these labelers are designed to waste the tape. OK, we thought. Whatever.

Then, when the tape ran out, we purchased more via Amazon. Wow, these refills are unreasonably expensive! Brother clearly has a "give away the razors and sell the blades" philosophy, seemingly making all of their money on the tape. But we bought it anyway, cause what else were we going to do? We were stuck.

We got the tape, inserted it correctly. But the cartridge was faulty and it unraveled on the second label. Irreperable. So we called Brother and -- guess what -- the tapes have NO WARRANTY!!

So, unless you are in the mood to give Brother a *blank check* for your labeling needs, don't get into bed with them. They will leave you angry and wanting.

Brother P-Touch 1180 is a very good label printer for home or office. It has a whisper- quiet operation and the batteries last a good long time. The printer can accommodate label widths of six, nine, or twelve millimeters so it can be used for many different tasks.

There are five sizes and several different styles that can be programmed on this label printer. Italic print, boldface, outline, shadow, and different combinations of the above can be utilized to create different effects. There aren't a multitude of styles and sizes, like you get with more expensive label printers, but there are enough selections to accommodate most needs. And the liquid crystal display makes it easy to see what you are about to print.

I have few complaints with this label printer, but one of them is worth noting: the printer's tendency to waste labels. When you print a label, the printer will always release sections of blank tape on both sides of the worded area. It does this, presumably, to make sure you have enough blank area to cut. But this can prove to be very wasteful because, most of the time, you will not need all of this blank label. What I try to do is type in multiple names in a row, separated by a space, and then print at once. This will minimize the amount of blank label coming out from the printer. There is a limit of 55 total characters in each run, so you can't input any number of names you wish. You are still a little bit limited, but this is still more efficient than entering one name at a time and pressing the print button after each one.

This printer isn't the greatest, but for the price, it's difficult to argue a convincing case against the Brother P- Touch 1180 label printer. It's small, quiet, and gets the job done with minimal effort and cost as long as you conserve the label by entering multiple names at the same time.

If you're okay with wasting $17 per tape on this thing, go ahead. I've had many misfeeds resulting in two unusable tapes and (suprise!) Brother doesn't warrant the tapes (so save your sales receipts to take it back to the store). Another version purchased for our office ate a tape causing the roller to break and (surprise!) the machine was no longer in its warranty. I've had much better luck with a Casio labeler which apparently uses a different system for their tapes. No consumer joy in this device at all.

The PT-1180 not only wastes the tapes as other reviewers have mentioned, but has a tendency to jam and destroy these very expensive tapes. Brother should be ashamed by releasing such a poor device.

I have two brother label printers and both have been junk. The 1180 I've had for very infrequent use will not work because one of the tabs that contact one of the 6 batteries needed to power it has broken off. Not way to use an electric adaptor. I bought extra tapes, but I will throw them out before I buy another brother. The other is a PT-70 it will eat-up 4 batteries overnight.

I actually bought this labeler from Office max for $8.99 about a year ago. I work in the Telecommunications Industry and have used it very frequently. It seems to jam up a bit but as long as you are careful when removing the jam everything is okay. I have only wasted one cartridge and that was because I did not know how to properly remove the cartridge during a jam. It has done an adequate job for the price. I have printed at least 5-6000 labels with it and it is still going. It's obviously getting worn but that's probably because it's not made for that much use. --Also, this labeler wastes about as much tape as any other labeler I have used.

My wife wanted 1 thing for her birthday... a labeler to organize our home files, etc. when I presented the PT-1180 to her she danced with glee and ran off to play with it like a child with a new toy. Soon my teen-age daughters were begging to borrow it, but they had to wait their turn. The easy to use interface, the simple operation, and the great results kept me running to their shouts to see what else it can do.

We just ordered one for the office as a result. Maybe I can get a turn?

Brother makes the best labelers. They are easy and reliable. My only beef with the Brother labelers is that they waste a lot of label. In other words, there is a lot of blank space at the beginning of each label you print. I have to manually cut off that wasted space, which is a nuisance, and then you obviously go through a label cartridge that much faster. Notwithstanding that annoyance, the labeler is indispensable for me. Makes home filing so much clearer. We use it for many things around the house.

I HAVE OWNED THE BROTHER PT 1180 FOR OVER A YEAR IT WORKS PERFECTLY WHEN USED PROPERLY THE BATTERIES LAST A LONG TIME AND THE TAPES WORK VERRY WELL MY WIFE AND I JUST LOVE IT