Customer Reviews

Brother PT-2700 Desktop Labeling System (Silver/Black)

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have had one of the smaller Brother personal labelers for many years, and it sat there in its little case, waiting for those occasions when I needed a label badly enough to take it out and bother with it. Why the hassle? Because it had a tiny keyboard that required lots of SHIFT and FUNCTION key alternates to get at common characters and functions, and because the display was tiny and did not show enough information (such as what the label would actually look like, and how big it would actually be). The labels themselves were fine, and the machine worked reliably, though.

I called Brother and asked them about if they had a similar label printer that would just connect to my computer, so that I could design and see the labels before wasting label material in trial-and-error efforts. They told me that the model PT-2700, and its companion PT-2710 had recently been introduced with such request in mind. I had not seen these in my local office supply store, because Office Max often carries only the cheaper models in a line as large as the Brother P-Touch series. I went back to the store and lo! ....they had just started to carry the PT-2700 at less than $100.

I am delighted with this label printer. It is connected to my computer via USB, just like my other printers. I can use either, or both, of the two printing utilities that came with the printer. One is a very simple editor that gives basic functionality where you don't care so much about exactly how big the label will end up, for example - this ends up being much like the guess-work process of the older and smaller P-Touch labelers. The other utility is a full functioned label designer with every bell and whistle I can think of. It automatically knows which kind of label cartridge is currently plugged into the printer, and shows a scale image of that label on the computer screen. Any Windows font in any point size, with any effect can be used in the label design. You can have multiple lines, multiple columns, different test fields, automatically filled-in fields, bar codes, clip art, line drawings, etc. The display in this editor is very WYSIWYG. A ruler hovers over the label to show exactly how big it will be. You can vertically or horizontally justify text as well. There seems to be no limit on how many fonts, sizes and effects can be used on a single label. You can have a different font, size and effect for each character if you want.

The installation CD-ROM also adds a macro to Microsoft Office applications, basically giving you a P-Touch icon in the toolbar of those programs (much like Adobe Acrobat does). Any selected items in those applications will be copied to the P-Touch application by clicking that new icon (the application will automatically open if not already running). Formatting is copied over with the text, etc.

Clicking the PRINT icon in either utility will cause the printer to shoot out a label in just a few seconds; I would guess about 1" per every 2 second or thereabouts. The printer automatically cuts off the leading edge, because that part might be curled if the printer has been sitting for a while, unused. The printer also cuts off the label at the end. While it prints, it slits the backing paper so that it comes off very easily (the smaller P-Touch machines do not do this, and getting the paper off can be a pain).

The PT-2710 is the same as the PT-2700, with the addition of a carrying case - this adds about $30 to the street price.

This printer uses the more expensive "TZ" series of tape cartridges. This kind of tape comes in a much greater variety of sizes, colors, and special types. TZ tapes also have a plastic lamination over the printing, so the image will not scratch off. Don't ask me how they do this! One gotcha with these tapes is that they are stored inside the cartridge in a pretty tight loop on the reels. When the labels come out, they are not curled - but watch out! When you remove the backing paper, they immediately want to return to their curled shape. Make sure that you have both ends of the label under some sort of control when removing the paper, of you will end up with a suddenly tangled bunch of plastic tape in your hands.

The printer can be used without a computer or USB connection. In this mode, it has a large blue-backlit LCD display with multiple lines. However, it is not WYSIWYG as you type your text and you can't tell how big the label will be as you design it. Also in this mode of operation, you are limited to a few fonts and 8 point sizes from 6 to 42 plus Extra Large size. The keyboard is more typewriter-like than the smaller ones, at 7" wide, with a normal QWERTY layout requiring no FUNCTIONs or SHIFTS to get at the functions. I said before that it's not WYSIWYG and you can't tell the size...that is true only in text entry mode. There is a Preview button, and when this is pressed, the display shows you what the label will actually look like, pretty much at actual size (the display scrolls for wider label previews), and it tells you how wide the label will be at this time. In preview, the correct fonts and effects are also visible.

The TZ tapes come in sizes of 9/16", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" and 1" wide. You can buy them in quite a range of colors. The basic is black on white, but common colors in the stores are black on yellow, red on white, etc. The Brother website lists a large variety of sizes and colors that are probably too specialized for most stores to stock; you can order them online.

There are 8 built-in fonts, from an Ariel-like sans-serif one called Helvetica, to a serifed one similar to Times Roman, plus script, stencil and other decorative fonts. You can select Auto type size, where the printer makes the text as large as possible while still fitting on the label, or you can select from the 8 font sizes. You can adjust the width factor of the characters, and you can apply styles to the fonts: these include Normal, Bold, Outline, Shaded, Heavy with outline shadow, and the same 5 choices with Italics applied.

The printer is very reasonably priced at around $100 street, and its build quality is very nice. It feels like quality equipment, although I have seen better-feeling small keyboards than this. The TZ tape is where Brother will get their money, since the cartridges run around $20 each, plus or minus a few dollars depending on how fancy the tape is. The iron-on and other specialty tapes are the most expensive.

The labels print at 180 DPI, which is not very high. When a label comes out, it seems crisp and precise in the appearance of the characters, but closer inspection will reveal very slight jaggies at the edges of slanted or curved shapes. To me, it looks like an ink-jet printer output when using cheap bond paper, when the ink has bled a little on the fibers. Since you will not be preparing long novels of small type with this machine, the quality is more than adequate, and it does look nice.

With such a nice machine and low price, Brother should do well with this printer.

I have been purchasing P-Touch labeling systems for about 20 years, and this is the best one ever. The PT-2700 has the new design. I particularly like the following new/improved features: (1) can choose full width, 1/2 width, and 2/3 width spacing; (2) trims both sides of a label if you choose narrow margins (saves tape); (3) individually adjust most important features; (and 4) accepts 1 inch tape.

I got to play with a labeler at my workplace - a PT-60 Home&Hobby model, and I loved it. Well, I loved how easy it was to use and I just love feeling organized and having things nicely labeled. Prior to this, I was printing out labels using address labels, cutting them to size, then putting clear tape over them whenever I did not want them to get wet. Yeah - I do no know how I've survived until now without a real labeler! Well, after using the PT-60, I started researching for my own labeler. At first, I was going to get the PT-85, but then I read reviews for the PT-2700 and I was hooked. I knew I would be using the labeler a lot so I wanted an ability to plug the machine into a outlet. I'm also a formatting freak and love fonts, cliparts, etc, and what a perfect match this PT-2700 is for me. I have not used it as a stand alone device, but it sits as a perpetual companion next to my computer because I use it all the time. There is a long review about this labeler that is very very good and comprehensive. It helped me determine which one to buy. But here are the things I love about this one:
1. Has AC adapter - I haven't used the batteries because like I said it's always plugged in and hooked up to my PC via USB
2. Comes with USB (the PT-1950 functions similarly but you have to buy your own USB)
3. Formatting software is really easy to use - if you install any new fonts, it automatically grabs those fonts so you can choose from them
4. I can print pretty labels (laminated, professional looking) and have used them for all kinds of purposes: spice bottles, food containers (when I've bought food in bulk and portioned them out), cosmetic sample containers (for travel purposes), file labels, my Treo, my pager, my jump drive, my favorite pens (see I'm a freak), storage containers in our garage, our circuit breaker, burned DVDs/CDs - the list is endless.
5. You can save any label you've created. This is so awesome - if you like a certain formatting, no need to re-invent the wheel -it saves so much time. One of my favorite functions!
6. You can print all font sizes - even Arial 8pt is quite readable! The TZ tape is wonderful - sticks really easily - though I haven't used them on rough surfaces. The split backing makes removal a cinch - much easier than the labels created with the PT-60. I've only used the 1/2" tape and am still on the sample cartridge that came with the machine.
7. I got it for a steal at Staples recently when they offered a $50 rebate - so in the end I'll only have paid $49. I almost went with the PT-85 b/c I didn't want to shell out $100. Just b/c hindsight is 20/20 - if I had gotten PT-85 and then got a chance to play with this 2700, I would have really kicked myself!
8. My only complaint with this labeler (and it's not unique to this one apparently) is that if you have it on the auto-cut setting, it creates a large margin when it prints out (even if you set the margins to smallest setting) and you waste a lot of tape. So I have it set on chain - which means it doesn't auto-cut. I print out one label and wait. Then I print out another & my first label appears and I use scissors to cut the first label. Yeah, to save tape, you'd have to have some patience - but since I'm always labeling something, I don't have to wait long! If I need it right away, I'll go ahead & have it fed out and cut - but the huge margins just kill me!

All in all, I've been enraptured by this new machine - the fact that it excites me more than anything I've ever owned probably means I need to be on some type of medication. I did also order the PT-85 (just $25 on Amazon), but as a gift for my dad b/c he suffers from the same affliction I do. He's going to love using it for labeling his pickling jars! I didn't get him the 2700 b/c even though he has a computer, it usually intimidates him (the man still owns a typewriter for crying out loud! At least it's a Brother :).

Great product that works exactly as described. I have not used this as a stand-alone label maker; I've only used it with my computer. The software is fairly easy to use, and it will pull data from an Excel spreadsheet, which is a definite plus. I had a spreadsheet of over 300 items for which I needed to make labels, and linking to the Excel doc made the process very quick and convenient. The only complaint I have is that the tape for the label maker is rather pricey. I spent $40 on the label maker, and so far I've spent $60 on tape.

This is a great buy for a labeler. Main draw for me was being able to print 3 lines on the 1/2" tape. It works great and has a lot of frills. It can go throught tape a bit faster than I'd like with its clean edge feature that feeds and cuts before every new label, but this can be reduced by having it on chain labels.

This Brother P-Touch labeler is much easier to use than other P-Touch products I have used. The large dot-matrix display with backlight and automatic cutting are almost worth the increased price all by themselves. As others have noted the TZ tapes are not cheap, and the fact that they are so tightly wound makes it something of a challenge to keep long labels from sticking to themselves (from which it is almost impossible to recover a usable label).

The labeler will store labels in its own memory, but the ability to print from Excel or other computer source is awesome. The "easy" software application isn't bad, but the more advanced application is not well-written. It has lots of options, but the interface is confusing, and it can take quite a bit of fiddling to get the results you want. It will, however, print using any installed Windows font, as well as print graphics.

The labeler comes complete with an AC Adapter and a USB cable. Try finding almost any other printing device that comes with a USB cable and you will see how unusual this is. The keyboard isn't bad, though its feel isn't the best. The ability to access almost any feature without using shift or code keys is highly appreciated.

The Brother PT-2700 Desktop Labeler produces professional-looking labels. It can be linked up with a computer so you're able to design your label on the computer and send it to the labeler for printing via a USB cable.

A quick word about the PT-2700 (this model) vs. the PT-2710 -- the only difference between the PT 2700 and the PT-2710 is that the PT-2710 comes with a plastic case for holding the power cable and other accessories; this model does not.

Pros
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- Keyboard
The keyboard has a QWERTY layout. Although it is not a full-sized keyboard, you can type on it almost as comfortably as you do on a regular keyboard. There's enough room between the keys so you can place your fingers in the "home position" (i.e. the asdf jkl; keys). The keys are rubberized, so they make absolutely no noise when you're typing.

- Backlight
The backlight is very bright, which makes it very easy to read what's on the screen.

- Professional Printing
The text produced on the tape is sharp and professional-looking.

- Print Preview
Some reviewers say the print preview looks nothing like the actual label being printed - and I must agree - the low resolution LCD screen can only go so far in rendering the print preview. However, I personally found the preview very helpful because it does in fact provide an accurately scaled representation of the label so you have pretty good idea how big the text is relative to the label, how much margin is around the text, etc.

- Computer Hookup
You can have many more fonts or designs to choose from if you elect to design your label on your computer with the software provided. You can embellish your text by incorporating text framing or a fill Pattern. It is also capable of producing a variety of bar codes formats. To print, simply link up the label to your computer with a USB cable. Another advantage to designing your label with the computer is that the software provides a highly detailed and accurate preview of a label to be printed.

- Many types of labels to choose from
The labels come in 9/64", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4", and 1" sizes. You can also choose from white, colored (a variety of colors), clear, and matte labels. You can fit up to 7 lines on the 1" label. Select the right kind of label for your needs -- the labeler can be used to label jars, cannisters, bottles, boxes, binders, folders, envelops (e.g. address labels), storage drawers, electrical cables/wires, switches, etc. The labels can be used both indoors and outdoors because they are designed to withstand weathering.

- "crack and peel" Tape
Brother's ""crack and peel" tape makes it very easy to remove the liner to expose the adhesive surface.

Cons
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- Stiff Keys
The keys on the keyboard are a little stiff, so you have to push down a little harder than you do on a regular keyboard.

- Waste of Tape
By default, the labeler snips off about an inch tape before printing a label. You can adjust the settings and bring it down to about 1/2 inch but there's no way to disable this "feature." According to Brother, the length of leader tape that's been out of the cartridge for long periods have a tendency to curl up and thus has to be snipped off before printing begins. But if I'm printing say 10 labels, I need only to snip off the leader tape in front of my first label -- not so with the labeler, it wastes tape by snipping off the leader tape before _each_ of the 10 labels.

- No File Names
You can't use filenames to save your work on the labeler. The files can only be saved as numbers (01 - 99).

- Expensive Tape Cartridges
Some of the tapes the labeler uses are: TZ251, TZ231, and TZ131, for 1" Black on White Tape, 1/2" Black on White Tape, and 1/2" Black on Clear Tape, respectively. If you check out their prices, you can see that while they're not prohibitively expensive, they're definitely not cheap!


Conclusion
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The bottom line is the Brother PT-2700 is one of the best Desktop Labelers, and it does a fine job of producing professional looking labels. The computer connectivity is useful for giving you a wide selection of fonts and symbols. In addition, there are different colors, sizes, and types of label cartridges to choose from to suit your labelling needs. My only real gripe is the cost of the label cartridges and the wasting of tape -- apart from that, I really don't have anything significant to complain about it. If you need a labeler for a wide variety of labeling projects, I would definitely recommend this one.

I really like this label maker. I've been using it to label ski equipment and various household items. I bought a roll of iron-on fabric tape so I can label my son's clothes for summer camp.

It hooks into a PC easily with a USB cable in just a minute. It comes with a PC application that's akin to a word-processor. You can compose all your labels on your PC and then just select print. Any font can be used and you can included graphics.

The only downside is the cartridges of label tape are not inexpensive. If you would like a few colors, you will have to invest in several cartridges that cost $12-20 each. Admittedly each cartridge will print many many labels so it's only if you want a variety of colors that you would have to spend a lot on cartridges.

Excellent product, easy to use and has new options that allow you to conserve the expensive tapes. You can set small margins, or you can "chain" labels together. This significantly reduce the amount of tape used in the cheap label makers from Brother and saves lots of money in the long term.

Lots of great features allowing many great and useful formats.

I admit it, I have a problem. I always have. I was one of those dorks in high school (think Reese Witherspoon in Election) who had a fancy daily planner and would write down my evening's homework assignments according to a color coded system. (Red ink was for Calculus; blue ink for AP Physics; purple ink for English; etc.)

Well, this need to have everything organized and put in its proper place has only become more of an obsession as time goes by. (Of course, having a cute little baby poses some challenges to "the system".) At any rate, it got into my mind at some point that the one thing I most wanted in this world was....a label maker.

The first label maker I got was a cheapo thing from Target, made by Dymo. It cost probably [...] or less. I figured that all labelmakers were created equal. I was wrong. When you asked this thing to print in a larger font size, the text on the label was stretched out longer, not larger. And--I'm finicky about this sort of thing--the text looked ugly. It looked the way text looked on the monitor of your Apple II computer back in 1987. (When there was a diagonal slant in a letter, the Dymo printed it in a step-ladder fashion.) Plus, if you had letters which have tails (e.g., the letters g, y, j, p) those were squished and set above the line of printing. Hard to explain, but trust me, it looked bizarre and ugly. Honestly, some people only need a label maker to tell you the contents of a canister. I wanted it to look nice too. (A little Martha Stewart in me, no doubt.)

Features:
The Brother PT-2700 is one of the latest models by the manufacturer to turn to for label makers, as I learned from a little research. I promptly purchased it and am now happy as a clam.

It uses tape up to 1" wide, so you can make larger mailing labels or name tags with the 1" tape as well as tiny little labels for your CD jewel cases using 9/64" (3.5 mm) tape. (By the way, the PT-2700 can also print vertically--very helpful for those CD & DVD jewel cases.) Also, you can print up to 7 lines on a single 1" wide label.

It has 8 built-in fonts, 8 sizes (6pt to 48pt), and 12 type styles (bold, shadow, italic, mirror, outline, etc). It can underline text as well as make borders (some silly graphic borders included).

The labels come out laminated, so it's durable and can be used indoors or outdoors. There is also a huge variety of label colors available (to be purchased separately), like red text on a black background, white text on a blue background, black text on a clear label, etc.

If you run your own business, this label maker can make working bar codes for your products!

The keyboard is set up in QWERTY fashion (like a computer) which is very handy. Other label makers (including the sucky Dymo I started out with), put their keys in alphabetic order, so you have to search for each letter. Also, the PT-2700 has all the numbers and the basic symbols (&, %, $, ;, etc.) right on their keyboard. Some other label makers require you to go into a symbol menu and find the symbol every time you want to use a dash - symbol. The PT-2700 only puts the more obscure symbols in their symbol menu.

The PT-2700 can save up to 99 label files in its memory, so you don't have to go back and retype text and redo your font and size preferences. However, the memory will erase if you disconnect the PT-2700 from its power source without having battery backup. You can run the PT-2700 on the included AC adapter or use 8 AA batteries.

Another WONDERFUL feature is that you can connect it to your PC or Mac using the included USB cable (super easy!). There is a CD of software included which allows you to make more complex labels on your computer and print them to the PT-2700. In this way, a whole variety more of fonts and symbols become available.

The cons:
The LCD screen is backlit and gives you a preview of your label before you print it, which is good. But I have to admit that the screen is very simplistic and it's hard to get a real idea of the finished label from the screen alone.

The buttons are tough/sticky. Though the QWERTY board makes you tempted to type as quickly as on a computer, the buttons stick and require you to press down on each one with adequate pressure. I can't tell you the number of times I've tried to make a label quickly and had to go back and insert letters which the PT-2700 skipped because I didn't push the button hard enough. (Thank goodness for the LCD preview.)

The label maker is not that small. It is almost 7 x 10 inches and weighs 1.87 lbs. It's not something that you're going to throw into your purse or briefcase.

The biggest downside? The labels can be costly. Regular (black text on white background) Brother TZ tape is less expensive, but still runs about [...] for two cartridges on Target's website. If you want to have a variety of label sizes (I have a 1" and a 1/2" tape) and colors on hand, you're looking at a very expensive initial investment. But the 1st cartridge I've bought still hasn't run out on me and I've done a lot of labeling already. The nice thing about the PT-2700 is that it gives you the option to adjust the size of the white space that precedes and follows your text, so that you can save a little on the label tape.

Thankfully, I found the PT-2700 for [...] with rebate and also got TZ tape cartridges from an online retailer for between [...]
At that price, the PT-2700 is far superior to all the other label makers, even of the P-Touch series.

I've used it to label CDs & DVDs, electronic equipment, the flour, sugar, rice, pasta, etc. canisters in my kitchen, my kitchen shelves and drawers, notebooks, etc. Since I could run it on AA batteries, I disconnected it and brought it downstairs when my husband and I decided to rearrange and clean out our basement storage space. We had maybe 30-40 files boxes filled with books, music albums, and odds and ends. Using the PT-2700, we were able to quickly label the boxes on the side with a list of its contents. Then, using the labels as a guide, we were able to stack the boxes, organized according to the type of books, etc. I labeled all the boxes with my daughters infant clothing according to the size of the clothing--ready to be pulled out when we have our next child. This label maker really helped make me feel productive and organized.

One other thing I would recommend to users is to be careful when printing extra long labels. Since the label tape is wound so tightly in its cartridge, when you go to peel the backing off of long labels, the label may curl and stick to itself. So just use some caution if you want to prevent throwing away that label.

If you found this review helpful, please let me know!