- Rechargeable desktop labeler with handheld convenience
- Remove from cradle for on-site labeling
- Connects to PC for special labeling products
- Graphical, 15-character by 2-line LCD display
- Easy one-key access for templates and symbols
I've owned a Brother PConly labeler for a few years now, but I ended up not using it much after the initial play period. The problem is, if you have to sit down and fire up your PC and the software (no matter how intuitive and sexy), it's just easier to use a pen, or nothing at all for that matter! After I read that David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done, concurred, I looked again for a more "ready when you are" tool. I highly recommend that you check out Brother's website; they have a nifty comparison feature that you can customize per model and feature and produce a PDF at the end great for your final decision process. For me, size and an auto cutter were the main features I was looking for, and that eventually lead me to this device, the little-reviewed 18R.
This particular unit is 2-3 times smaller in volume than all its brothers (non-intended pun here), thanks to its rechargeable battery. I was resisting this rechargeable business at first, because it implies frequent use (like a cell phone or laptop), but I warmed up to it. The price difference isn't that great (~$20 compared to a slightly lesser unit, the price of 8 good rechargeable AAs actually), plus it turned out that the little beast can go up to six months of occasional use without recharging, which is very impressive in my book. The NiMh cell is custom and labeled "Brother 18R"; hopefully there will be replacements in a couple of years when it finally gives out. I especially like the fact that this unit stores extremely well in addition to it being small: unlike the desktop models which sit flat on your desk and awkwardly occupy a lot of space no matter where you place them, this one actually goes into your library like a book, or upright into a corner of your desk drawer or file folder.
The auto cutter lives up to its name, so much better than manual. It cuts off the tape lead so you don't have to keep scissors around (you may find that funny, but re-cutting labels was standard procedure with my other labeler!). My favorite is the "chain mode". Here, you essentially delay your latest print in favor of a more efficient use of tape material. For example, if you enter "January", "February" and "March" and hit Print every time, the "March" label remains in the unit until you print something else or change your mind and hit the "scissors" button. This should address most people's issues with the wasted tape; it's as good as it gets with this system.
The device is very easy to use: while you type your text, it tells you how long your label is going to be. If you select borders, etc. the graphical display shows you the styles, and if you desire you can hit the preview button to get a WYSIWYG representation before printing. There are also a few "layouts" available, for example fixed-length (for your file folders), or two-line printing with different font sizes on each line (I find these particularly useful to label my Nalgene bottles with the content plus my name underneath). Unfortunately, the chain print mode (see above) doesn't work with those handy layouts; it always cuts off about 1/2" of empty tape. But I can live with it.
My minor gripe with this device is the low-contrast, non-backlit display (hey, since I'm running on rechargeables, I could justify the energy needs of a backlight). Also, the latch that closes the cassette department doesn't seem solid to me: a tiny plastic thing, similar to the one that broke on my other labeler. While I'm whining, I'd also like 360 dpi resolution for that really industrial look, but those printers are currently much more expensive (or PConly, which to me is now useless).
Still, this is the most useful, featurerich, and compact labeler that I've ever used, so 4 stars are deserved. Hope it helped in your quest to label those sock drawers :)
Buy Brother P-Touch PT-18R Rechargeable Labeling System Now
This unit is great! It's small, rechargeable, connects to the computer, has many useful formatting modes when you are using it away from the computer, and has an auto-cut function. It also has a chain printing mode that wastes very little tape. This mode selection is remembered until you change it again, no fiddling with settings each time.
The only (minor) complaint is that the charging dock does not have a USB port, so you have to manually plug it into your computer when you set it on the charger. And it's a little pricey, but if you use any P-Touch unit more than occasionally, then the cost of the tape will quickly overwhelm the differences in price between this unit and less expensive ones. And this one is nicer.
Read Best Reviews of Brother P-Touch PT-18R Rechargeable Labeling System Here
This system fits nicely in the hands. It holds a charge a long time. I owned another brother product. The batteries did not last long. I purchased the AC adapter which was about the same price as the Labeler. Then I was limited by the cord
This cord-free version with long battery life is great. And means that I can take the labeler to whereever the project is. It automatically cuts so there is an even border on each side of the label. I purchased this because it has the ability to connect to a PC via USB port, though I have not used that feature yet.
It seemed like I went through the tape that came with the system quickly. It may have been shorter (like a sample) I am on my second cartridge and it seems to be lasting a long time.
My only comment is that I think the borders on each side are long--forcing you to use more tape than necessary. But this seems to be how they all work, so I still rate it 5 stars.
Want Brother P-Touch PT-18R Rechargeable Labeling System Discount?
I'm a long time user of the P-Touch system. My first was the PT310, which worked great. But with 6 AA batteries, as most of the other units have, it was a bit heavy. This unit is lighter, but not by much. The battery weighs a bit, but they didn't cheap out and use NiCad, they made it a mercury-free Ni-MH. That's much much much better, both from an environmental perspective and usability (no memory effects, partial charges ok, and much longer life cycle) thanks Brother!
The unit has an excellent feel in the hands and great QWERTY layout and other button layout you couldn't improve on that very much. As far as features, pretty excellent, and certainly more than i'll ever need if you include the PC-based part. So my concerns are somewhat minor this unit is great but here goes:
1) Brother absolutely should have designed the charger to work on the USB port. You cant charge as quickly, but that gives you a far better place to park the unit, and at least gives you the option to be un-tethered from yet another AC outlet.
2) when you print each label, even with the feed options minimized, there is about an ince of lost tape with each label. I can be less in the chain setting, so there is a workaround. I thijnk that they've found a way to minimize it in this unit,but they could do better. Overall, it is still better handled than my earlier unit.
3) Brother really should improve the resolution of both the print and the screen. That would not be hard, and an otherwise excellent product could be even better.
4) the number of symbols inherent in the unit is far less than my earlier model. Yes, you can import images from your pc, but most folks are like me we will generally just use whats in the unit. Please add more images Brother! My last unit had a movie icon, great for labeling DVD's at a rental and now i can no longer match my older labels since they dropped that and a number of fairly obvious user friendly labels.
5) Great to have 4 fonts in the unit six would've been better esp on a $120 unit like this.
6) Brother should have done a better design job with the charging base. It certainly should be more compact taller if needed, but the flared edges just take up too much space my desk/office space is precious and they could still make a good looking base (which could charge from either PC/USB or AC) which has a smaller footprint.
7) Small issue the blue font special characters above the keyboard are hard to see and too small so for example, its hard to find the comma "," in low light situations. Those characters should be darker/more prominent.
Otherwise, i'm very happy with this unit. Hope to have it for years to come.
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This is my first labeler.
I kept seeing them in places like Home Depot and Staples, but I know retailers want to sell me what's most profitable for them rather than what I need.
So I went to the Brother website where they have an interview process telling you what to buy based on your anticipated usage. The PT-18R came up on top.
I was excited about this because I'm all for recharging rather than using and replacing batteries. I liked the option to plug in to an socket for straight electricity too. The length of the power cord is long enough so I don't feel restricted. I use a Mac, so the interface with a PC was meaningless to me and I won't ever use it.
When I first opened the box and followed the setup instructions, I noticed the battery is not Lithium-ion(Lion) but Nickel Metal Hydride(NiMH). Lion is state of the art and is unhampered by battery memory problems, so you can run it down and recharge at will. NiMH is last generation battery technology and while robust in terms of holding a charge, a NiMH battery will wear out sooner and may or may not have memory problems. Lion is more expensive than NiMH.
The book says to be prepared to replace the NiMH battery when it won't hold a charge anymore, or about a year. It also says the battery will lose it's charge if the labeler doesn't live in the recharger. So I'm prepared to buy a new battery from time to time, but nowhere on the Brother website is a referral to a retail outlet where a replacement battery may be purchased. And when I Googled PT-18R Battery, nothing came up . My hope is the battery is generic and someplace like Radio Shack will help me later on, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Wish me luck.
The interface works, but is clunky. Remember when the OS on a PC was MS-DOS? That's what this is like. After I got the hang of the file hierarchy with the operating manual at close hand, things became intuitive and I was able to edit and print labels in a smooth work flow.
I'm impressed with the variety of formats this labeler will render and I admit I'll never use them all. The PT-18R will do everything you want at home, and most everything around a business on up to barcodes, etc. I read in a previous review here someone was critical of the amount of tape used per label. This is easily adjusted in the setup menu before a specific labeling task. The operating manuel is complete, easy to understand, and covers everything about getting the most out of the machine. Use it.
The print quality is superb. The adhesive available on the tapes you can buy come in regular and extra strength, or two times the regular. I find if you're going to label anything other than file folders or paper based surfaces indoors, get the extra strength. Be prepared to get a head cleaning tape, especially if you use the extra strength tape a lot. The selection of tapes is the greatest in the 1/2 in. variety, so I recommend you start there and branch out into the other widths as the need arises.
TIP: It comes with a sample cartridge. Use it to experiment with what you're going to label before you go to the real tape you're going to use for the final application...cuts down on waste.
Also, DO NOT BUY TAPES IN A RETAIL STORE. Buy them either here at Amazon or online at any of the several P-Touch label vendors for half of what you'd pay at, say, Staples. Tapes are expensive and that's how Brother makes their money, not on the cost of the labeler itself.
At what I paid here at Amazon with free shipping, I got the street price going rate. So far I'd say PT-18R is worth the extra money over the cheaper models because it does exactly what I want it to do in the manner in which I want to do it. This represents value to me, but might not to you. Your call.
The PT-18R is an interesting mix of serious capability, especially to those of you who want to interface with a PC, and dated technology. There's no doubt it will be discontinued within two years (go to the Brother website and look at the long list of discontinued models) and replaced by units using Lion power. But I don't care. By then I will have labeled everything in sight. Get one.
