Brother Personal Labeler Machine, White (PT90)

by Brother

• 3 interchangeable face plates for personalizing
• Easy view, 12-character LCD display
• Handheld design with Typewriter style keyboard
• Uses non-laminated M series tapes in 3/8-Inch and 1/2-Inch widths

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Part of the Simply Stylish line of P-touch products, the PT-90 puts extra style into labeling!

Create stylish labels for your personal items using one of 8 Deco Mode patterns. .

Three changeable faceplates for personalizing your machine’s look

This customizable model offers three changeable faceplates to help personalize your labeler. Add up to eight stylish patterns to your home labeling applications using the "Deco Mode" feature. With its small, handheld design, the PT-90 fits perfectly in a bag for on-the-go labeling.

Featuring an easy-view, 12-character LCD display and typewriter style keyboard, the PT-90 prints non-laminated labels in 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch widths. Easily design creative labels with 1 or 2 lines of text using one of the 9 Type Styles, 173 Symbols or 7 Framing options. Uses 4 "AAA" batteries (not included) and includes one Black on White “M” starter tape.

Additional Features

• 3 changeable faceplates for personalizing your machine’s look
  
• 8 Deco Mode Patterns for extra-stylish labels
  
• Uses non-laminated "M" series tapes - available in 2 widths
  
• Easy view, 12-character LCD display
  
• Prints 1 or 2 lines of text
  
• Handheld design with Typewriter style keyboard
  
• 9 Type Styles and 7 Framing options
  
• 173 Symbols
  
• Great for home labeling applications
  
• Operates on 4 "AAA" batteries (not included)

Uses non-laminated "M" series tapes

Product Description

Personal Labeler. 3 interchangeable face plates for personalizing your machine’s look. Easy view, 12-character LCD display. Handheld design with Typewriter style keyboard. Uses non-laminated Mseries tapes in 3/8-Inch and 1/2-Inch widths. Operates on 4 AAAbatteries (not included)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 72 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Labels, Just Ignore Battery Warning January 20, 2011

By d.w.

Amazon Verified Purchase

----- Update 1/20/12 --------

I've owned this for about a year, and I actually just purchased an extra one for my office. So far, this label maker has done a fantastic job.

Update on battery life:
I'm actually on just my second set of batteries in the year I've had it, so overall, I am quite pleased. Per my original review, I use Sanyo Eneloop rechargeable NiMH batteries. After my first few weeks of label making, I would say I've been using it to print a few labels once every 2-3 weeks or so. Sometimes, it's a little more frequent than that, but not often. The label maker STILL flashes the Low Battery! warning after every single label, but I always ignore it, press some button, and keep printing. Hasn't failed me yet.

Quality of labels:
Still the same, typical label quality. Yes, there's quite a bit of excess unused label that gets printed, but I suppose this is just a fact of label making. Not very efficient, and somewhat wasteful, but what can you do? I use the labels often for items in the refrigerator and freezer, and for this purpose, the print and the labels themselves have held up well, especially considering the cold temperatures. They're easy to peel off when I'm finished, and leave no sticky residue.

Overall, it has been a reliable and useful purchase.

----- Original review -------

I bought this labeler a few weeks ago. I wouldn't exactly call it the most compact thing I've ever held, but it functions well and has plenty of label options. Instructions were easy to understand, and I was printing my first labels within 5 minutes of unboxing it, even without really going through the instructions. I won't go into too much more detail on the functions, since they are pretty standard.

About the infamous battery warning:

Some previous reviews have commented about this machine (and other similar P-touch models) being a total battery black hole. Here's my experience:

Just ignore the Low Battery! warning and keep on printing.

I'm not even using traditional alkalines --- I have 4 AAA rechargeable NiMH batteries in there. (Sanyo Eneloop brand -- check them out! They are fantastic.) So far, I have printed at least 3 dozen labels, on and off, over the past few weeks. This includes printing 10 or so labels at a time, without turning the machine off in between and leaving it on for a few minutes between actual printing. I have to admit that it flashed Low Battery! at me after the VERY FIRST label. I just pressed a button and kept on going. It hasn't shut off on its own or refused to print a label yet. Long story short, do not be discouraged by the warning. I can't comment on performance with alkalines since I haven't tried them, but at least with NiMH, it's fine. The first set of batteries for me is still going strong. If you're truly worried about battery life, consider investing in some rechargeable batteries. Newer "precharged" NiMH type batteries are not the old rechargeables of 20-30 years ago, work well, and are ready to go even after sitting in a box, unused, for a year.

So, that's the scoop so far on the battery situation. Hope that's helpful for anyone looking to take the plunge on one of these.

92 of 95 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Very convenient and useful! March 30, 2010

By Professor Butterscotch

Amazon Verified Purchase

I got this shipment within it's estimated delivery date, and it is very easy to use and very convenient! I used this to label some of our bottles on the spice rack - the letters are very clearly printed out (with the small font, you can actually print out two lines of text), and the entire process was very simple, I didn't even need a manual to figure out how to do basic printing of labels (I don't even remember if it has a small booklet for the manual). The label itself holds well.

The device is very compact, lightweight (like a kid's toy), yet doesn't look like it's easy to break. It has a custom frame that you can change anytime you want, although I don't really care about these colorful plates as much. Vendor should've included a refill label cartridge instead. :)

I recommend this product for those who just want a basic labeling tool with preprogrammed patterns for small art projects and such. This item doesn't have too much to offer, but it works for a simple person with simple needs. I'm pretty pleased with it!

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Great job for household July 11, 2010

By Hophouse

Pros: inexpensive gadget,works great, clean lines, not too big, takes 4 AAA batteries, has cool styles like shadows and bold, has cute symbos
Cons: expensive labeling refills, writing is very small, uses too much extra tape at the ends. labels very hard to unpeel unless you have long talons (nails)

I am a very organized person so I got this at Staples for $15 at staples (on sale) and so far it works great. I have been labeling like a madwoman since I got it. I have labeled all my electronics chargers, my pet food/misc. items, my tv/dvd cords, my plastic drawers, and my electronics so far and I haven't even had this labeler for a day! My biggest complaint is that the writing is a big small unless you supersize it. It was pretty easy to figure out, but I did have to skim the manual first. I wouldn't use this one for my business, but it's great around the house.