Minidisc Label Printer

[EveryWord]

Brother's PTouch QL500 & QL550 label printers, with the right label roll (DK1202) installed, are almost perfect for minidisc labelling needs. Here's my mini-review, since I've bought one and printed about a dozen labels thus far:

QL500 features

QL550 features

(The QL550 is basically the same as the -500, but has an automatic, rather than manual, label cutter.)

The DK1202 labels are Brother's large shipping labels, measuring 62x100 mm, about 2 3/7 x 4 in., and come 300 to a roll ($19-25, depending on where you buy). For minidisc purposes, you'll print the labels vertically, and two-up (two to a label, vertically).

For minidiscs, you only have to cut off about 3/4" of the label (on the right side) after printing, and then cut the remaining two-up piece in half, and it's the right size for the disc. The software makes it easy to create label templates that can include trim lines.

(Fiskars makes a nice, inexpensive photo trimmer that's perfect for the trimming. Most larger craft stores will carry it, or something similar.)

For slip cases, with two-up printing, no trimming of the label is needed after printing, other than cutting the two-up label in half.

Sorry, I don't worry about spine labels, but I'm sure they can be done with the right template, font, and a little extra trimming.

PROs: Prints fast, prints clearly (300 dpi), even with small fonts. Lets you print vertically and horizontally on the label (including vertical lettering). The software, though complex, is full-featured and lets you put just about anything on the label, including various patterns, line styles, fonts, reverse lettering (white letters on black background), and graphics and images. (No, I haven't tried inserting a CD cover image on a label.) The software will also allow you to do a custom merge from a database, such as CATraxx, but I haven't tried this yet either. The labels themselves are plenty sticky, but peel off easily enough (slowly & carefully) without leaving residue behind.

CONs: Plan to spend a few hours with the software figuring out the features (online help is sparse). Because these are thermal, they're black & white, not color. If you buy a -500, like I did, understand that the front lever underneath is the manual cutter, not a feed guide. You may be tempted to think that the labels are tear-off, but they're not.

These things are heavily discounted now, which leads me to believe that new & improved models are on their way, but for minidisc, how much more do you need?

Edited August 15, 2005 by EveryWord