Label printers.

Updated 29 Oct 2011

I have a thing for label printers. So far, I've had 2, while most people won't even consider buying 1. I like the idea of labelling everything. My first label printer was a Casio EZ-Label Printer and my current one is the Brother PT 1010. Since I've had 2 from different companies, it gives me an opportunity to compare label printers.

My Casio KL-7000 label printer

On the whole, the EZ-Label Printer has more "smart" features while the P-Touch is more practical/technical. I bought the P-Touch because its labels are laminated, and it's the only label printer with this feature. Laminated labels are practically waterproof, highly abrasion resistant and more fade resistant compared to normal labels. I find that the P-Touch's labels are higher quality. They stick better and the backing is pre-cut for easier removal (EZ-Label Printer tape might have this feature now, I haven't tried it in years). Also, Brother is more technical in this aspect because they tell you what the label is made of (PET), including the adhesive (acryl based) and backing paper (silicone), what it can be used for (microwave safe), the tests they've done and that it's non-toxic etc. It seems this was designed with industry in mind. Another highly attractive feature is the labels leave little residue when removed. An interesting fact is I haven't been able to tear their labels yet without cutting a notch first. It seems they are very resistant to tearing, like polymer money.
Of course, all these features come at a price, and these labels are not cheap. Another disadvantage is the added complexity (3 spools in the label cartridge) means these are more likely to jam up. Both label printers use thermal tape - there is an extra roll of tape in the cartridge with the "ink". When it is heated, the ink transfers to the label. I've experienced problems with both printers where the ink roll sticks to the label and exits the printer, so when you cut the label you cut the ink tape too. The ink tape is meant to stay in the cartridge - there is a roll for used ink tape. When you cut it, it's like cutting the tape in a videocassette or audio tape. THIS CAN DESTROY THE CARTRIDGE IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. I faced this problem when I just got my P-Touch, but fortunately I was able to fix it, with experience from my EZ-Label Printer. Interestingly, when I used the wrong adaptor (too high voltage) with my EZ-Label Printer, the ink tape would melt and stick to the label.

See:
http://www.brother.com.au/PDF/Clients/Products/P-touch_technicaldataforTZtapes_Web.pdf
http://www.brother.com.au/Products/tapeinformation.asp

So the P-Touch wins hands down on tape. However, the EZ-Label Printer has more "smart" features.
The best example is the preview function. The P-Touch LCD consists of several character boxes and each box can only display 1 character at the same time. It is unable to display smoothly scrolling text. The EZ-Label Printer, on the other hand, has a real dot matrix LCD. When displaying label previews, the EZ-Label Printer scrolls an image of what the real label will look like - with full formatting, including multiple lines, and frames. The P-Touch's preview only scrolls the text as it was entered - including signs like ⏎ - not very useful.
Reducing the margins saves tape. In both label printers, the print head is quite far from the cutter - the label between these 2 is wasted. When printing using the narrowest margin, which is shorter than the length of this label, the excess label must be trimmed. On the EZ-Label Printer, it prints a bit, asks you to cut off some excess label, then prints the rest. The P-Touch prints 2 dots and expects you to trim the label yourself, with scissors. An advantage of the P-Touch here is its "chain print" mode, which allows you to print several labels with narrow space between them. You have to use scissors to separate the labels.
The EZ-Label Printer has more icons.
The EZ-Label Printer can print up to 4 lines on a label, but the P-Touch can only print 2.

Edited:
Added pictures
I found out the KL-7000 can also print technical icons, including Greek characters.
I believe the additional features of the KL-7000 are due to its price, not brand, so I'd expect high-end Brother label printers to have similar functions.
I think Casio's new label printers have a function where they cut the tape, but not the backing! Wonder how that works. Haven't seen it yet.